“I have to go to army, this will be my last year" - Former junior Slam runner-up Hong Seong-chan dreams of French Open again before military service

South Korea's Hong Seong-chan is going to be taking a break from the international tennis circuit at the end of this season. Not to head into retirement or go back to college or pursue an alternate career; instead, the 26-year-old is required to complete military service back home and will enroll into the South Korean Army in December.

The rules will restrict him to playing tournaments only within South Korea. That will have a direct impact on his world ranking, which currently stands at No. 221. He will rise to around World No. 210, however, after he defeated India's Ramkumar Ramanathan to reach the semifinals of this week's Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger on Friday.

Cheered on by his wife from the stands, Hong Seong-chan gained revenge over Ramanathan for two previous losses - a singles defeat in the 2016 Davis Cup and one in the Asian Games men’s doubles semi-final last September. A gold medal in that event could have opened the door for an exemption from military service for Hong, but that wasn’t meant to be.

“I have to go to army this year for one-and-a-half years. This year will be my last year,” Hong told the media in Bengaluru. “Since I cannot travel one and a half year, I cannot compete with the other players in the world."

With the December timeline hanging around his career, Seongchan Hong has an immediate goal – to play the qualifying draw at Roland-Garros. That’s where Hong, a former junior Australian Open singles runner-up, played the first Grand Slam qualifying match of his pro career.

"My immediate goal is to play the Roland- Garros qualifying. I also want to play the main draw in the Grand Slams this year. That's my main goal as I have to go to the army at the end of the year," he said.

That debut ended in a 5-7, 4-6 loss to Italy's Matteo Gigante after he was oevrwhelmed by his nerves, as he admitted himself. The memory of that experience is what is fuelling his desire to return to Paris and put up a better show.

"I want to come back to tennis again" - Hong Seong-chan on his plans after military service

Seongchan Hong at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage in Valencia

Hong Seong-chan’s routine in the army, thankfully, will not be completely devoid of tennis. The South Korean Army has a tennis team, with whom he will be able to train and play besides the physical fitness activities that are anyways part of the regimen.

“I can play one hour. Actually, they have a tennis team in the army in Korea and I can play tennis on the national circuit. I cannot go abroad to play,” he said.

Hong, who also lost in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon and reached the second round of the US Open qualifying event in 2023, says he would like to return to the tour after his 18 months in the army, even if he knows it will not be easy.

“I want to come back again. If I can be physically okay and then also see if my family will be okay to travel. But I love to compete and I will try to come back," he said.

The next step in Hong's goal to play in Paris will be on Saturday, when he takes on eighth seed Oriol Roca Batalla for a place in the Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger final. A win tomorrow will move him back inside the world's top 200 and put him in good stead to play at Roland-Garros come May.