You could argue that Shang Juncheng was born to become an elite athlete.
The Chinese star has firmly established himself as one of the brightest prospects on the ATP Tour in 2024, during which he surged to a career-high No. 47 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Dealing with a meteoric rise can be tough for any young talent, but Shang has not one, but two former pro sportspeople at hand to offer sage advice — his parents, ex-footballer Shang Yi and ex-table tennis player Wu Na.
“I think I’m where I am because of them,” Shang told ATPTour.com on Tuesday in Jeddah ahead of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where he will compete as the fourth seed. “I think for each player, parents are the most important. At the end of the day, it’s the people around you — your team, your coach, your family — I think they are most important for me.
“They are definitely very understanding of how it is to be a professional athlete. We have conflict always about things. It’s never perfect, and there are ups and downs for sure, but at the end of the day we try to not make it an argument. More to describe your own feelings and express the way you are feeling on the court, and what you need to improve. At the end of the day, it’s all about just communicating.”
Regular communication from a parent has also been vital to the development of Arthur Fils. The Frenchman may not have a parent who played pro sport, but his father played basketball to a high level as a teenager. Jean-Philippe Fils passed on his competitive edge to his son, who is now a Top 20 player at just 20 years old.
“It’s always been the same,” said Jeddah top seed Fils when asked about any key advice his father had given him for his tennis. “The same sentence, but it always made sense. ‘Never quit’, give 100 per cent and we’ll see, and you don’t come on the court to participate, you come on the court to win.”
Both Fils and Shang have already done plenty of that. The Frenchman increased his tour-level title tally to three in 2024 with ATP 500 triumphs in Hamburg and Tokyo, while Shang forged a breakthrough in Chengdu, where he became the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour title on home soil. Even if following that significant early success proves tough, the 19-year-old knows he can always turn to a positive family environment.
“The most important thing is that they never put any pressure on me, winning or losing,” said Shang. “It’s always part of the game, and as athletes I think they know it is part of the game. For me to enjoy myself and try 100 per cent is all they wanted, even now that I turned professional just last year. They want me to enjoy, overall, and just have fun on court.
“One of the biggest bits of advice they gave me is that I have to try and focus day in, day out. You don’t just become an amazing player with one practice. Other players, they work super hard each day for their goals, for their dreams. That’s what my parents are telling me every day: ‘Hey Jerry, you had a good day today, but the next day you’ve got to repeat that. Repeat it and repeat it again, and you’re going to be a better person and a better player’.”
[ATP APP]There are plenty of examples of the children of athletes following their parents into the same sport: From NBA star Bronny James (son of LeBron James) to NFL stars Eli and Peyton Manning (sons of Archie Manning) and ATP Tour players such as Casper Ruud and Sebastian Korda. Fils and Shang may not be playing the same sport as their respective sporting parents did, but they still have first-hand experience of their abilities.
“[My dad] played basketball until he was 18. When he was playing, he was pretty good,” said the No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings Fils. “I never watched him play, but sometimes we go and play together. When we play, he is winning for sure at basketball. One hundred per cent. I would say my dad is [physically] pretty explosive, and I would say I have this from him.
“My parents play a big role in my development for sure, maybe the biggest. Of course, on the court I am the one playing and holding the racquet, but they are always supporting me and they help me so much. They have a big role.”
Jean-Philippe Fils and Arthur Fils playing basketball. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Meanwhile Shang acknowledges he cannot match former China international Yi at football, nor former mixed doubles world champion Wu at table tennis. Yet he attributes time spent playing with them as key to his competitive edge.
“I’ve played football with my dad and table tennis with my mum,” said Shang. “Obviously, I’m not as good as them. Against my mum, if I get lucky, I win a point! Each player, each athlete, whichever sport you do, the goal is to win. To be the better player on the court or to be the best in the world. I think generally the competing style, I got it from them."
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