The Korean national team achieved a miracle by coming together with fantastic teamwork
On the 5th, the Korean men’s national tennis team led by coach Park Seung-gyu (KDB Industrial Bank) won the 2023 Davis Cup Finals finals against Belgium with a final score of 3-2 and reached the finals stage for the second year in a row.
The Korean national team, which wrote a miraculous reversal drama, responded to the interview at the press conference in a bright atmosphere different from the first day.
The following is the full text of the interview with the Korean national team.
How do you feel about advancing to the finals for two consecutive years?
Director Park Seung-gyu_ I’m too distracted. I don’t know if it’s really over or not, so I don’t know how to say it. I am grateful that (the players) did their best until the end without giving up, and I am so proud of them as players and juniors. I love it so much I don’t know how to express it.
You suffered two unfortunate losses. What did you tell the players yesterday?
Minkyu Song_ We had meetings while receiving treatment until late at night. ‘It’s not over yet. The hyungs will do their best to win, so please prepare behind the scenes.” He said a lot, ‘I and (male) Ji-seong and I have to do our best to win and go all the way to (Kwon) Soon-woo (Hong) Seong-chan’. As we won, I told Sunwoo and Seongchan that if we didn’t give up until the end because we had good memories of last year’s home game, we told Sunwoo and Sungchan that a miracle might happen. Thank you to all the coaches, coaches, trainers, and players for making it happen again. I am so proud.
There must have been tension and pressure at the end of the last game, but he seemed to be crying. What did you think?
Hong Seong-chan_ The atmosphere was good before the fasting. Of course, I was very nervous, but I was also very excited. I always lost during the Davis Cup, and last year I was the only one who lost, but now I thought I showed it.
Were you confident when entering the game?
Hong Seong-chan_ Yes. He tried to be confident because he didn’t know how the national competition would turn out. I didn’t want to be discouraged, so I pushed harder.
What operations did you perform today?
Hong Seong- chan_ I went in thinking of a tactic to show my strengths and make the opponent feel frustrated. As soon as I started, I thought I could win.
What do you think after giving away the first set?
Kwon Soon- woo_ The previous day, while talking with the team, they said something funny like ‘If the hyungs win, I’ll take the Gopang’.
After losing the first day as an ace and losing the first set today, how did you feel and how did you try to change the atmosphere?
Kwon Soon- woo_ On the first day, while talking among the players, we jokingly said that if the hyungs won the doubles, I would catch David Gopin. I lost the first set, but I thought about that and tried to enjoy it, and it worked out well from the second set.
I must have felt pressure because I couldn’t start the first game well. Kwon Soon-
woo_ I lost with my skills, but if I had to give some excuses, I had some difficulties 토토사이트, such as torn hands and poor shoulders, but I was able to overcome it as the team gave me a lot of good words.
Hong Seong-chan During the game, I took a motion to calm down, but when the
players play, there are many situations where they are not calm. I can cheer for the national championships from the side, so when Hong Seong-chan seemed impatient, when he was told to stay calm, I was encouraged and said that.
Regarding the driving force of the national team,
Nam Ji -seong_ Needless to say, I think our strength is teamwork. It is a pride because it has the greatest unity than any other team. Many people would have thought that we were weaker than Belgium, but we didn’t think so, and we thought that if we united as one, we would create good synergy.
What does it mean to advance to the Davis Cup Finals for the second year in a row?
Coach Park Seung-kyu_ Rather than meaning, I felt new when I first advanced to the finals after taking on the coaching job, and it was a really tough job to get to that position, but the players made history by becoming one team with the coaching staff, and it was a dream come true for me to do it twice in a row. I don’t know if this is correct or not. I think the reason we were able to do this was because the players worked together as a team. It cannot be replaced with any words. It’s so good.
We still have a lot of time left until September, so how do we prepare
? Coach Park Seung-gyu_ From next week, each player has their own schedule, so I think we’ll move according to our individual schedules. Of course, I will check the players’ schedules in the middle, but there is still time, so I think I need to discuss it with the players.
I am determined to go to the Davis Cup finals again. Kwon Soon-
woo_ I went for the first time last year, but when I actually ran, there were many areas where I was lacking, but I also gained confidence that I can do it. What I felt after today’s game is that I want to set a goal of reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals after the round of 16. The team is of one heart and mind, so I think we can show a better image than last year.