Taiwan’s top-ranked male tennis player, Lu Yen-hsun, has expressed his gratitude for becoming the first Taiwanese to be elected to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Player Council and pledged to promote tennis in Asia.
The new council, as voted by players, was announced on Saturday evening at the general players meeting at Wimbledon.
The council, elected for a two-year term, also includes Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the world’s top two ranked singles players.
After being elected to the council, Lu is to join other ATP Player Board representatives in making recommendations to ATP Management and the ATP Board of Directors.
In a Facebook post, Lu said he had received congratulations from several players, including Djokovic.
Lu thanked the players who voted for him for their support, but acknowledged that they had given him a major responsibility.
“I will do my best to seek better benefits for ATP players. Getting elected represents the beginning of responsibility,” he said on Facebook.
“As an Asian athlete, I will put special emphasis on issues related to Asian tennis, including the development of tennis in Asia and ATP tour events in Asia,” he added.
Lu’s coach Danai Udomchoke, a former professional tennis player from Thailand, said it was not easy for Lu to get elected to the council, composed of players from various nations.
Dirk Hordorff, a former coach of Lu’s who was key to Lu’s growth on the professional tour, said in a message on Facebook that it was a “big honor and big achievement to get voted in this position and have the trust and acceptance of all players you represent.”
Lu and the rest of the world’s top players are gathered at Wimbledon this week for the third Grand Slam event of the year.
Lu is to face Alexander Kudryavtsev of Russia in the first round of the men’s singles. Should he win, he would most likely face second seed Murray in the second round.
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