Inside Shang Juncheng's return: From constant pain to smiles in Toronto

Struggles and Successes

Inside Shang's return: From constant pain to smiles in Toronto

#NextGenATP star missed six months due to a foot injury

Getty Images for ATP Tour Shang Juncheng has climbed as high as No. 47 in the PIF ATP Rankings. By Andrew Eichenholz

No matter what position Shang Juncheng was in, he felt pain in his right foot. Whether the Chinese #NextGenATP star was laying down, sitting or walking, he suffered from it. If the lefty accidentally hit his foot, that would “hurt pretty bad”.

“Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night and it started hurting and I had to walk around a little bit to circulate [it],” Shang told ATPTour.com on Saturday ahead of his return to action at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers following six months away. “It was not the nicest moment.”

Shang began his season in Hong Kong, where he reached the semi-finals before retiring against Kei Nishikori. He then made it through less than two sets in the first round of the Australian Open against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina before bowing out.

“In Australia, I was struggling with it pretty bad. We thought it was a bone bruise or something like that, [and we thought] that it was not so serious,” Shang said. “But after a month, maybe, it was still hurting the same. Sometimes it would hurt more and I would have resting pain when I slept, so I was like, ‘Wow, this is possibly going in that direction’.”

Shang was referring to surgery. By Indian Wells, he decided to either compete in the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event or go see a foot specialist. Shang did the latter and has been on the mend since undergoing surgery on 5 March.

“The pain went away other than the cuts with the scalpel. Obviously with the medication at the beginning, it helped a lot,” Shang said. “But after, when I was rehabbing, it was hurting a little bit here and there. When you walked, you were always kind of scared that something might break, because it doesn’t feel like it's yours.

“Overall it's been really good. I'm glad I had a good time at home, spending time with my family, and my physio Charlie is great. He's done a huge role in this rehab.”

The former No. 47 player in the PIF ATP Rankings took advantage of six months in Florida. “Obviously, the golf game has improved a lot during that time,” Shang said, cracking a laugh.

But importantly, it was a chance to spend time with family and doing things players do not always have time for while competing on the ATP Tour. There was plenty of Harry Potter — ‘Jerry’ spent time both reading the books and watching the movies. He laughed Saturday thinking about popular character Ronald Weasley casting a spell that backfired, resulting in him spitting up slugs.

It was not until the beginning of April that Shang began playing tennis and he was not comfortable on court for weeks after that. By Roland Garros, the pain was gone.

“That's when I realised, look, this foot thing is set and all we need to do is get back in shape and find the match rhythm, and I'll be all right for the tournaments,” Shang said. “I think the most exciting part is that there's no pain, and I'm playing happy on the court. It doesn't matter what the results are.

“I'm just happy to play a few tournaments that are left this year, which is not many. But I get my favourite part of the season, which is at home, right after the US Open. So everything is, I think, positive.”

Shang, who had a wide smile on his face Saturday in the players' lounge, will make his return on Sunday in Toronto against a qualifier. It will be just his sixth match of the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“Obviously the rhythm on Tour is way different from when you're practising. When coaches are feeding you balls, the rhythm is completely different... There's a lot to play for [on Tour] and I just [have] very positive feelings to be back,” Shang said. “And most importantly for me again, is to just enjoy because I haven't played for so long, coming from only two tournaments this year. To play my first one as a 1000, I think it's very special to be here in Toronto.”

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