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'I
quit school for tennis'
Young tennis player shows ambition
Jack (left) has won a lot of trophies since he began playing tennis. (Courtesy of Jack Hui)
By Nickie WongJack Hui Cheuk Wai, an 18-year-old tennis player who represents Hong Kong, always skipped class to play tennis.
Despite studying in Diocesan Boys’ School, one of the Band 1 schools in Hong Kong, Jack decided to quit school and become a full-time tennis player at 16.
“I believed 16 was the right time to start my career,” he said.
“I didn’t want to miss the chance and have regrets for my whole life. It is very foolish not to follow one’s dream,” he added.
This outgoing young man hates a dull life.
“I think learning from experience is more important than studying in school,” he said.
Born in a tennis family, Jack started playing tennis at the tender age of 5.
His first match, at the age of 10, was at an international tournament held in Beijing. He came in third place.
In 2001, Jack and his team brought glory to Hong Kong when they emerged as first runner-up in Asia’s qualifying round of the Junior Davis Cup Tournament. It was the highest achievement in Hong Kong tennis history.
His team went on to represent Asia in the World Group Junior Davis Cup Tournament, held in Chile. His team came in in the top 10.
His success was widely covered by the media at that time.
However, his journey to success was not always a bed of roses.
Jack was not an innate athlete. He was born with arrhythmia, a condition where an extra nerve in his heart would overwork involuntarily.
“There was a time I actually fell into coma during a match,” he recalled.
He had to undergo surgery.
After the surgery to correct his shoulder, he could not play tennis for two months. He could not sleep well because his right shoulder hurt badly.
The lack of sleep made him depressed.
He was worried about his injury and its negative effect on his tennis career.
After resuming tennis practice, he had to be very careful not to re-injure the joint.
He admitted that the injury would inevitably affect his achievement in tennis.
However, the injury helped him develop into a more well-rounded player.
It taught him to put more emphasis on strategy, rather than use mere physical strength to win, as he did before.
After he quit school and became a full-time tennis player, his life was once very wild.
“At that time, I had the shoulder injury and I could not play tennis. That left me with a lot of spare time.
“I became a bad boy. I hung out with my friends overnight in pubs and snooker parlors,” he said.
Jack dropped the unhealthy lifestyle after he realized it was damaging his body and career. He realized that he was letting loved ones down and wasting his time. He became conscious that what he was doing was not right.
After eight months of physical and emotional trauma from his shoulder injury, he is now more aware of his sports injuries and consults the doctors more frequently.
When asked if he will take a course on physical injuries, he said, “I think I will focus more on tennis in the next 5 years, which is going to be the peak of my career in tennis. So I don’t think I will go back to school in the near future.”
In his leisure, Jack is just like other teenagers.
“I need to do something ‘non-tennis’ in order to keep me going. Otherwise my passion for tennis will soon be gone,” he said.
He does not think he is special among his friends.
“The difference between us is only that we are pursuing different goals,” he said.
The tennis player is preparing himself for the National Games in 2005 and the Asian Game in 2006.
After this year, Jack will no longer be considered a junior player.
As a “senior”, he could receive prize money from every match he wins.
“When a tennis player enters senior tournaments, it’s all about money,” he said. “The winner of the smallest-scaled game can get about US$125. And the champion of the Grand Slam can win up to US$1 million.”
The Grand Slam is the highest level in tennis. It includes the Wimbledon Championships.
Jack hopes to be able to enter the Challenger, which is three levels lower than the Grand Slam, sometime in his career. The champion of the Challenger can win US$400,000.
In order to do so, Jack has to work hard.
Said he: “Now, I only think of improving myself. I want to excel in my career.”
His long-term goal is to be the icon of tennis in Hong Kong.
The ambitious tennis player said, “I want people to think of Jack Hui whenever tennis is mentioned.
“I want my mother to be proud of me.”
Jack (right) treasures his friends and time he spends with them. (Courtesy of Jack Hui)