Seoul, Professional tennis is built around rhythm playing week after week, collecting ranking points, carrying confidence from one tournament to the next but for South Korean men, there is an unavoidable interruption that can arrive in the middle of that journey.
Mandatory military service.
For Korean players, it means learning to adapt their careers around an obligation and then, in many cases, finding their way back to the professional circuit after an 18-month absence.
Seong-chan Hong is living that experience.
The 29-year-old reached a career-high 139 in September 2024. In top-form he had beaten formidable teammate Soom-woo Kwon and India's Sumit Nagal at Indian Wells that year. He also won 14 ITF titles and one Challenger.
But he enlisted in the military in January 2025 and returned to competition this year. Due to the long break, he is now ranked outside 1000.
He has played only a handful of matches since his return as he begins the climb again.
Korea Davis Cup captain Jong-Sam Chung acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, even as he stressed that the players have little choice because military service is an obligation for all Korean men.
"When you are doing well, you have to be in the right mood. But we are obligated to be in the military," Jong-Sam said ahead of Korea's Davis Cup tie against India here.
{{/usCountry}}"When you are doing well, you have to be in the right mood. But we are obligated to be in the military," Jong-Sam said ahead of Korea's Davis Cup tie against India here.
{{/usCountry}}The current active-duty period is 18 months for the Army and Marine Corps, with longer terms for the Navy and Air Force.
Why military service for all Korean men?
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The system stems from South Korea's security situation following the Korean War, which ended in a 1953 armistice but not a peace treaty.
Universal male conscription has subsequently remained a central part of the country's national defence system.
Initially, they learn basics like how to shoot, throw a grenade and for 12 months they perform assigned jobs as per their skills fixing electricals, vigilance and once in three months they perform war simulation.
They get rest on weekends and can earn vacations by being exceptional in their duties.
For elite athletes, there is a special sporting pathway. Olympic medallists and Asian Games gold medallists get exemption that allows them to continue their sporting careers after completing basic four-week military training.
Hyeon Chung knows that route first-hand.
The former world No. 19 won the men's doubles gold at the 2014 Asian Games with Lim Yong-kyu and therefore avoided the full service period in 2015.
"I didn't have any problems. I was there for just four weeks because of the gold medal at the Asian Games," Hyeon said.
His own career illustrates just how valuable continuity can be.
Hyeon became the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals champion in 2017 and reached the Australian Open semi-finals the following year, beating Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic before withdrawing against Roger Federer because of foot blisters.
Injuries subsequently took him away from the sport and, after returning in 2023, the 30-year-old is now trying to climb back through the lower levels of professional tennis ITF circuit and Challengers.
His attitude, however, remains unchanged.
"I've always been taught that I should act like a pro when I enter the court. I should manage myself. I've built a good career. I'm not at that past level yet. I don't know if I'll go back to that level. But I'm trying to go back. I'm doing my best every day."
If Chung's experience shows the benefit of earning the sporting qualification, Soonwoo Kwon's career demonstrates another side of the Korean system.
Kwon, 28, ranked around 150, is the only South Korean man to have won two ATP singles titles. He reached a career-high 52 in 2021 and also made the Australian Open third round that year.
After dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out for around six months, Kwon eventually enlisted for his mandatory military service in January 2025 because he had not earned the Asian Games gold required for the sporting route.
But even military service did not mean completely walking away from tennis.
Kwon was able to compete in permitted events, including Davis Cup, and also played Wimbledon during the period.
After completing his 18-month service in July, he has made an encouraging return to the tour, winning three Challenger titles and qualifying for Wimbledon.
"I didn't think of it that way, why I had to do it. I thought it was a good opportunity, and as I said before, I was able to work on my shortcomings" Kwon said.
"Actually, I had the very regular life, we received our devices at 6 am., and we returned to sleep by 10 pm., so it was actually really beneficial, and that helped me to get my body conditions well."
Hyeon says the experience varies from player to player.
"No idea," he said when asked if it was good for sports persons.
"I just went for four weeks. Some say yes, some no."
Hong's discharge has been a positive development for the team.
"As Seung-chan was discharged from the military, our players have gotten a little better," said Jong-Sam.
The Korean players therefore have to negotiate two very different forms of discipline - the regimented life of military service and the unpredictable, individual nature of the professional tennis tour.
Their stories are different, but the underlying demand is similar.
A Korean male player has to build his career knowing that, unless he earns the special sporting qualification, a military commitment will eventually have to fit somewhere.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.