Li Tu might not be a name known by many tennis fans outside of Australia but his recent triumph at a Challenger event in Korea was a highly emotional one.
The 26-year-old battled his way through qualifying en route to the biggest title of his career to date. In the main draw, he dropped only one set in five matches played. Knocking out seeded players Christopher O’Connell and James Duckworth en route to the final where he defeated China’s Wu Yibing.
As a result of his win in Seoul, Tu has risen 100 places to a career-high of 190th. A huge boost for the Australian who took a six-year break from tennis between 2014-2020 after falling out of love with the sport before rediscovering a passion for it. During his time away, he obtained a university degree in commerce and marketing, as well as doing some tennis coaching.
In the aftermath of winning his maiden Challenger trophy, Tu posted an emotional tribute on social media to his mother who passed away just last month. He travelled to Korea to play a day after attending her funeral but said he was inspired to do so. Through his mother’s battle with cancer, Tu said she encouraged him to continue playing.
“Today is your birthday Mum. It has been the toughest 2 months of my life. Watching you battle cancer, struggle and fight every day as you slowly lost your senses,” Li Tu wrote on Monday.
“Continuing tennis training because you were relentless that I must keep going and you are “getting better”. Being by your side as you took your last breath on 24/09/22 surrounded by our family who love you so much,” he added.
“A few days before you passed, you said to me “I’ll see you in Korea” and I broke down in tears. Coming over to Korea the day after your funeral, I wasn’t sure I could do it but before every match, I looked up at the sky and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw you.”
The tennis player ended his post with the phrase “We did it Mum”.
Since beginning his comeback in March 2020, Tu has also won seven ITF titles prior to winning in Korea. He was unable to keep his winning run going this week after losing in the first round of the Busan Challenger to home player Hong Seong-chan.
