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Tennis in Korea

From a small island's first court to apartment complexes and a Melbourne semifinal: explore the development of Korean tennis.

Published by TENNIS ONLINE

The beginnings on Geomundo

Tennis in Korea is commonly traced to 1885 on Geomundo, an island off South Jeolla, where British naval personnel built courts during their occupation. The Hamilton court is remembered as an early landmark.

The Hoedong Club, founded by finance officials in 1908, was an early organized club; a 1927 championship in Gyeongseong was an early official competition.

The word jeonggu, literally “courtyard ball,” was used in the sport's early history; modern tennis and soft tennis developed as distinct branches.

The era of apartment courts

The spread of apartment tennis courts is linked to housing-development requirements in the 1970s. Tennis combined an upscale image with a comparatively compact footprint among the available sports-facility choices.

Courts in apartment complexes and schools helped tennis become a middle-class recreational sport. Later, parking demands and redevelopment created disputes over keeping courts.

Indoor practice facilities grew as an alternative to outdoor weather and noise constraints. Around 300 indoor facilities were reported in 2021, illustrating the shift toward indoor practice.

International milestones

1981: Lee Duk-hee reached the US Open women's singles fourth round.
1988: Kim Bong-soo and Kim Il-soon reached the last sixteen in men's and women's singles at the Seoul Olympics.
2000 and 2007: Lee Hyung-taik reached the US Open fourth round, alongside his wider ATP breakthrough.
2018: Chung Hyeon defeated Djokovic on the way to an Australian Open semifinal and reached a career-high ranking of No. 19.
2021: Kwon Soon-woo won an ATP singles title and reached the Roland-Garros third round.
2022: Cho Se-hyuk won Wimbledon's boys' under-14 event.

Enthusiasm for participation has not always translated into sustained elite international success.

The recreational tennis boom

By 2022, tennis was already a well-established Korean club sport. An influx of players in their twenties and thirties during the early 2020s intensified booking competition and connected tennis with fashion and social media.

Spectators also follow international matches without Korean entrants, with Big Three fandom extending interest to players such as Alcaraz and Sinner.

Lessons and equipment can remain expensive, while indoor practice and secondhand equipment provide alternative entry routes.

Challenges and possibilities

Promising junior results do not always lead to senior tour success. Possible contributing factors include the availability of domestic peers, the balance between stable corporate-team careers and uncertain touring, and trust in development administration as possible factors rather than a single proven explanation.

Reasons for optimism include a broad recreational base, younger participants and developing juniors. Continued participation, access to courts and sustainable player support all matter to that future.