Closer look at Yen-Hsun Lu
Causing the biggest upset of the 2010 Wimbledon championships so far, Yen-Hsun Lu knocked out three time finalist Andy Roddick, with 9-7 in the fifth set in a match that lasted over four hours.
He has not only secured himself a spot in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, but has made history by becoming the first Asian man to get through to a Grand Slam quarters since Shuzo Matsuoka of Japan claimed the achievement at Wimbledon back in 1995.
Player Overview
Lu is currently ranked as the No 82 player in the world. Having never advanced past the second round at the Wimbledon tournament, Lu now faces a quarter-final match-up against Novak Djokovic of Serbia, after his tremendous victory over American Andy Roddick.
Lu got to the third round at the Australian Open in 2009, which was the best career performance for the Taiwanese player.
Lu has played the Wimbledon tournament a total of six times.
Bio
Lu began playing tennis at the age of nine, after his father decided to learn along with him. Although technically not a coach, Lu's father guided his son's career, providing support, and advising him until Lu turned pro in 2000. Lu’s father passed away later that year, unable to witness his son’s continuous achievements.
"I'm really upset because my father's already passed away," Lu said. "I make this result. I'm really proud of myself to share this victory with him [his father] in the sky. I hope he sees this match."
Following Lu’s victory over Roddick, the media has associated Lu with chickens, due to his previous experience in the live chicken business with his father. Having finally decided to pursue tennis over chicken-chasing, Lu gave up ruffling feathers and focused on his hard-hitting tennis game.
"I can catch a chicken," Lu admits with a grin. "I can show you. I can catch a chicken. I don't really like because smell really bad. But I know it is very tough work. They are always working between 1am to 6am, like very early. That time the chicken cannot run away because they cannot see."
Wimbledon 2010
Asked to comment on his performance against Roddick, Lu said: "I still thinking when I was going to the final set, I just tell myself, I have to fight," he said. "Because I know in the fifth set, there is no tie-break, and he has a better serve. So I just tell myself, 'if I can stay longer, then probably something happens'. And finally then I waited [for a] last chance to close the match.”
Aware that Djokovic is a force to be reckoned with, Lu admits that he does not fully believe that will be able to beat the big-serving Serb. However, he is prepared to fight it out in a similar fashion as we witnessed throughout his on-court battle with Roddick.
In an interview, Lu stated that he is ready to face Djokovic.
"I know the next opponent is Djokovic," Lu commented. "Also is very great player. I don't know how far I can play. But I can tell you if I have a chance to step on the court, I will fight in the end."
Having worked with trainer Mark Woodforde for several months last season, Lu has drastically improved his volleying. This year, Lu has focused on his overall fitness, hiring a fitness coach from Argentina in preparation for his trip to Europe.
"We were training really hard for three and a half weeks to prepare for these tournaments," Lu said. "And also he used the new system. It is a different training program that makes my legs a little bit stronger. So I can jump higher, I can serve better."
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