# Kwon Soon-woo Returns, First Step in New Season at Australian Open


Kwon Soon-woo (26, 206th in the world) will start a new season in 2024 at the Australian Open, leaving behind an eventful last season.

Kwon Soon-woo said, "It was a year when I matured a lot by organizing what I needed and unnecessary things while playing tennis, such as good things, bad things, and things to reflect on."

Kwon Soon-woo became the first Korean player to win two tours in the second round of the ATP 250 Adelaide International in Australia early last year

A month later, he led the national team to advance to the finals for the second consecutive year by winning one singles match against Belgian ace David Gopang at the Davis Cup final at Olympic Park in Seoul.

However, Kwon Soon-woo left the tour after the Doha Open in February due to a shoulder injury and returned to the tour through the U.S. Open about half a year later, but suffered consecutive losses.

Kwon Soon-woo played for the Asian Games national team in October, but in his first singles match, he suffered a shock loss to then world No. 636 Cassidit Samrei (Thailand, world No. 664), and eventually had to finish the season without a victory.

Kwon Soon-woo suffered a great deal of trouble after losing to Samrei, including fans' criticism and the Korea Sports Council's warning for his actions against the sports spirit.

Having enjoyed a rollercoaster-like season, Kwon has fallen to 206th in the world rankings. Kwon is currently in the preliminary round of the Grand Slam, but he will directly advance to the finals of the Australian Open by utilizing his protected ranking.

The protected ranking system allows a player to use the player's average ranking for the first three months after a player's injury or illness caused him or her to fail to tour for more than six months. Kwon Soon-woo maintained his ranking at the 60th place on average after his injury.

Kwon Soon-woo entered Australia a week before the opening of the Australian Open after two weeks of winter training with national standing players at Jincheon Training Center and one week on Jeju Island.

"My physical condition keeps improving. My shoulders have improved a lot," Kwon Soon-woo said.

"I will use it in four Grand Slams and nothing has been decided yet for the remaining five. I will also discuss with my coach about my schedule for the tour after the Australian Open based on my physical condition," Kwon said.

Kwon Soon-woo left the team without an extension contract with his previous team Dangjin City Hall after last year's season. "There was no suggestion to recruit another team yet. Even if there is a suggestion, I will maintain the current system with (U Daniel) coach," Kwon said.

Kwon Soon-woo, who first advanced to the Australian Open in 2018, said, "This is my seventh time to participate. My best performance is in the second round in 2022, when I beat Holger Lune (Denmark, ranked eighth in the world).

"It is natural for an athlete to want to go high. I want to perform better than the second round, and my biggest goal is to finish the competition unscathed," Kwon said.

According to the results of the draw for the Australian Open held at 11 a.m. today (Korea time), Kwon Soon-woo's first opponent for the 2024 season is still undecided. The opponent will be decided after the preliminary round of the Australian Open.

BY: [사설토토](https://www.sportstotolink.com)