Shang: "I'm starting to better understand my body and my style of play"

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Although his results on this Asian tour will not be engraved in any book, the truth is that Juncheng Shang can be satisfied with his most recent results, leaving behind a few months of helplessness where an injury kept him from competing for an entire semester.

Fortunately, his body became operational again with the arrival of the most important months, his beloved Asian tour. This allowed us to see him compete in the Hangzhou ATP 250, the Beijing ATP 500, and the Shanghai Masters 1000. Results? Round of 16, first round, and third round. Translated into a more straightforward language: three wins and three losses. It may not be very convincing, it may not be memorable, but Juncheng Shang knows how to appreciate these small pleasures after having suffered an injury that kept him out of action from January until July. Now that he has finally gained some momentum, his speech reflects the impressions with which he moves on to his next destination.

"Today I felt dizzy, I suppose because of the heat," he said after falling in the third round of Shanghai against Nuno Borges. "I had been playing a couple of night matches, so maybe I wasn't used to a day match. At the beginning, I felt a bit rusty, but I was the first to break serve. The weather bothered me a bit, it's true, I was lacking oxygen. I'm not saying I don't like this climate, just that I'm not used to such hot weather. After all, this was the first time I reached the third round, so it's positive," added the current #238 in the rankings, who fought in a third set to fall 7-6, 4-6, and 6-3.

He has played three tournaments in the Asian tour summarized in three wins, but from this last event, he confesses to taking something different. "What makes me happiest is the preparation, although I admit that after Beijing, I didn't have much time to get ready for Shanghai; I barely had three days to adjust. Before starting to play, I had many questions, but the first round gave me a lot of confidence, so I defeated the World No. 10 later, feeling very sure. However, if I had to choose my most satisfying match, I would pick this last one, despite the defeat. I made some progress, I'm managing to have calm days, which is teaching me a lot. I see that I'm starting to understand my body and my way of playing better," said the Chinese.

At 20 years old, Shang is aware of all the barriers that a player may encounter along the way, but he quickly emphasizes where his evolution lies. "There are multiple factors within the game, sometimes you don't feel physically competitive enough; if you're then a little agitated, it can be reflected in your tennis. It also depends on your team, your coaches, the spectators, or the courts; everything has its impact. For me, the key I need is to channel the right energy into the next point, not elsewhere. This is exactly what I want to show, I want to be a resilient player. If you don't beat me, I won't give up; I think I've more or less achieved this. In the future, whether in training or in matches, I will put all my strength," says the Beijing player.

- SHANG REFLECTS ON HIS 2025 SEASON

Reaching the third round at the Shanghai ATP will help him stay close to breaking into the top 200 again, but Juncheng Shang is still far from reclaiming the top 50 spot he held just twelve months ago. With a 6-8 record this season, it is evident that his body has not allowed him to be on the court as much as he would have liked, but Juncheng has enough evidence to draw his own conclusions.

"The season hasn't been ideal, I didn't play much, but these last three weeks in China were very enjoyable. My game was good, I learned many things, for example, planning my practices after a defeat, or even after a win. Working without rest is also not right, so I'm always thinking about how to ensure that I'm always physically active. I've made some improvements, but there are still many things I need to learn. I'm very happy after my time in Shanghai, for making it into the last 32, so hopefully there's much more to come," he concludes.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Shang: “Empiezo a entender mejor mi cuerpo y mi forma de jugar”