Thailand has Paradon who entered the world’s top 12 tennis players. Vietnam hopes to have a future world-ranking tennis star because it currently has a talent named Nguyen Hoang Thien, 13.

Nguyen Hoang Thien.

Thien was born in 1995. He started practicing tennis at the age of 8. His first “coaches” were ball gatherers on his father’s tennis court. Two years later, he won the championship of the National U-10 Tennis Tournament 2005.

In September 2005, Thien’s family sent him to Florida (USA) to study tennis at the Sharde Brook Tennis Institute. After one year in the US, Thien had his own coach, an Indian-American, Mr. Ashok S. Bikkannavar (paid $50,000/year). The coach treated Thien like his son. He taught the boy not only how to play tennis but how to behave. Thien has become his pride.

Thien has travelled through all 52 states and commonwealths in the US to attend various tennis tournaments for kids. He ranked 21^st at the America U12 Tennis Championships.

Thien’s talent was revealed at the Vietnam-Thailand Tennis Tournament at the Phu Tho Club in HCM City in 2007. There Thien defeated Thailand’s Rungseeraif to become the champion of the Men’s U12 Championship.

In 2008, Thien impressed the tennis circles when he became the champion of the Men’s U14 of Asia, Bahrain, India, South Korea, and the champion of the U18 ATF Binh Duong tournament. He is now the top player in Asia’s U14 ranking.

Thien has impressed others with his professional style of playing, even when playing against rivals who are 4-5 years old and have higher rankings. Many tennis experts from Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand were surprised witnessing Thien trounce older rivals at the Asian Tennis Championship 2008. They saw Thien’s victory as a great exploit.

Coach Ashok also highly applauded Thien’s talent. He said Thien has a good physique (13 years old, 1.67m, 60kg), good techniques, good health, and good thinking as well so Thien can go further as a professional tennis player. The coach also said that Thien has a great passion for this sport and the boy is the most special case he has come across in his career as a tennis coach.

Thien’s biggest wish is to enter the top 100 of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) before he reaches the age of 20. The US has invited Thien to join its national tennis team but Thien’s parents want their son to play tennis as a Vietnamese athlete.

It is the first time in Vietnam’s tennis history there is a player who was exceptionally allowed to take part in the Australian Open Tennis Tournament for U-18 players, the first Grand Slam of the year. That player is Hoang Thien.

Thien’s idol is the Swiss player R. Federer. Besides tennis, Hoang Thien is a 13-year-old boy who loves playing computer games. Being supported greatly by his family, Hoang Thien is the great hope of Vietnam’s tennis in the future.

Lookatvietnam/TP