There was a time in 2022 when Vietnamese tennis had 7 names on the international men's professional rankings (ATP), namely Ly Hoang Nam, Trinh Linh Giang, Vu Ha Minh Duc, Nguyen Van Phuong, Tu Le Khanh Duy, Nguyen Dac Tien, and Pham Minh Tuan. However, on the latest ATP rankings, Vietnamese tennis only has Ly Hoang Nam at 545th place. Having reached his career high of 231 ATP, Ly Hoang Nam has now fallen out of the top 500 and at the age of 27, he is struggling to pursue professional tennis.
For many years, Ly Hoang Nam has been number 1 in Vietnamese tennis.
Coach Tran Quoc Phong, who has accompanied Ly Hoang Nam for a while, said that Vietnamese tennis is in a state of alarm regarding its strength. “Vietnam has hosted many international tournaments at all levels from youth to professional, thanks to which Ly Hoang Nam and his successors have had the opportunity to hone their skills and accumulate points. However, in the past two years, we have not hosted any international tournaments and it is inevitable that only Ly Hoang Nam is left on the ATP rankings. Looking at countries in the region such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, they not only maintain but also increase the organization of many international tournaments, thereby creating a launching pad for many talents,” said Coach Tran Quoc Phong.
Another fact that causes the Vietnamese tennis force crisis is that the main training centers are facing financial difficulties, so they rarely send athletes to train and compete internationally like before. The Vietnam Tennis Federation (VTF), despite its efforts, has encountered many difficulties and barriers, so it has not effectively promoted socialization work, thus not coordinating to organize international tournaments or providing funding for talents to compete internationally regularly to improve their skills. Even with the number 1 Vietnamese tennis player Ly Hoang Nam, he has always had to participate in international tournaments with his personal funds or those of his club. VTF and the Department of Sports and Physical Training can only support the cost of raising bonuses every time this tennis player and the Vietnamese team train and compete in the SEA Games, Davis Cup, etc.
At the 2024 National Tennis Championship taking place in Ninh Binh , there is no participation of top Vietnamese tennis players such as Ly Hoang Nam and Trinh Linh Giang. The tournament has not discovered any new talents besides old faces such as Nguyen Van Phuong and Vu Ha Minh Duc... Coach Tran Quoc Phong said that with the current reality, Vietnamese tennis is expected to have difficulty competing in regional arenas such as the 33rd SEA Games next year in Thailand, and it is even more difficult to find a talent of Ly Hoang Nam's caliber to advance to a bigger playground.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of VTF, said that one of the current weaknesses of Vietnamese tennis is the limited capacity of coaches, which also affects the training process. “From September 27 to 29, VTF will host the International Tennis Coaches Conference in Asia in Da Nang . The conference attracts about 100 coaches from 17 countries and territories, including Vietnamese coaches, to discuss the development of domestic coaching staff to have more effective training and coaching methods. There will be 9 speakers and 7 coaches from the International Olympic Committee to exchange experiences and teach at this conference.”
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