Bill Chan, 17, becomes first Singaporean tennis player to play in a Junior Grand Slam tournament at Australian Open

SINGAPORE — Growing up, Bill Chan had small stature and big dreams. Earlier this month, he achieved one of his ambitions when he competed at tennis’ Australian Open Junior Championships, becoming the first Singaporean to feature at any of the Junior Grand Slams.

“I always feel really grateful to be able to do something small for Singapore tennis,” the 17-year-old told Yahoo Southeast Asia while he was in Singapore for a week after the championships. “It’s a privilege to represent your country.”

He beat Australian Lachlan McFadzean 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in his opening boys’ singles qualifier before losing to Romania’s Radu David Turcanu 2-6, 6-7 (9-11) in the following round.

Chan and Luis Jose Nakamine of Peru then fell to Americans Kaylan Bigun and Jagger Leach 6-2, 3-6, 8-10 in the first round of the boys’ doubles main draw. The tight finishes in the pair of defeats provided learning points for the Singaporean teenager, who withdrew from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) on the first day of school in 2023 to pursue full-time tennis.

“I was extremely stressed,” he said of facing Turcanu for a spot in the quarter-finals of qualifying and the chance to make the 64-strong main draw. “It was probably the biggest match I’ve ever played, one of the most important. First time at a (Junior) Grand Slam, I wasn’t able to handle that. It’s a work in progress.”

Building a stronger foundation in Belgium

Tennis is a sport of problem solving and Chan has been finding solutions since the age of seven. Until he experienced a growth spurt in Secondary 3, the now 1.8m-tall player was often the smallest kid on the courts. But he managed to hold his own against opponents that towered over him by standing close to the baseline and taking balls early.

“I’ve always loved to compete,” he said. “I love to play matches, I love to meet new people, and most of all, I love to win. Even when I was really short, winning some matches kept me going. Maybe if I was a little bit taller when I was growing up it wouldn’t have made me the person I am today because my game would have been different. I wouldn’t have learned to fight as much as I did.

“I’m still small compared to many of the Europeans that I play but that’s not very important to me because I believe I can still win. When you train a lot and you put in the work, I think you always have some sort of confidence in yourself that you can beat these guys no matter who they are.”

Chan's game has evolved over the years, particularly after basing himself in Hasselt, Belgium and honing his craft on clay courts while schooling online. Prior to that move in April 2023, he had been playing on hard courts.

On clay, he needs to stand further back and play a heavier game that requires more strength and speed because he has to cover more of the court. That means his fitness is key: An average week for Chan in Belgium includes three hours of on-court training with his tennis coach Philippe Gelade and three hours of physical training with his fitness coach Jonas Wallens from Monday to Friday. Sometimes he will also work with his mental coach Pieter Michiels.

Chan attributes his ascent from a low of No. 577 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings in July 2023 to a high of No. 62 at the start of the year to his clay-court training, his parents’ support, and his Christian faith.

“Playing on clay courts is a completely different game,” he said. “It’s a lot more physical, the rallies are much longer. But it helps you to learn a lot. For example, playing further back and hitting with more topspin. On hard courts you can get away with being a bit slower with your footwork and hitting the ball a bit flatter but on clay courts that doesn’t work.”

Relishing the challenges the junior circuit brings

He knows his rivals are learning and improving too. In Australia, he observed that some competitors were working as hard as him, some harder. It was a reminder that nothing comes easy on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors (Under-18).

Junior Grand Slams are the biggest events on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors. The six grades below the top tier comprise of J500, J300, J200, J100, J60 and J30 events.

In April 2023, he suffered three consecutive opening-round losses in Turkey, at J100 Istanbul, J30 Istanbul, and J100 Izmir. Doubts surfaced but his father Edmund Chan, 51, and mother Hui Yoke Leng, 50, helped him realise that full-time tennis is still the path for him.

“We didn’t want to take the easy way out and quit this journey just because of a few losses,” he said.

Chan also enjoys the challenges the circuit brings. “Everybody you play is such a good opponent. You don’t get easy matches. You have to work for everything,” he said. “You wouldn’t want to win a tournament where everyone you play is so far below your standard. You want to be able to compete and feel like you earned the wins.”

When he earned the J100 Sarawak title in September 2023, it became the highlight of his tennis journey. The Australian Open Junior Championships did not eclipse that.

“It was a big moment for me - it felt like I was one step closer,” he said of the junior Slam, a competition that has been won by American Andy Roddick, who later became a Major champion and world No. 1. “But when I won my first title, I was happier.”

Results at youth level often provide an indication of potential even if many things can happen during the transition from junior to senior level. Chan does not read too much into past junior rankings of established players - just enough to gain confidence.

Two-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain had a career-high junior ranking of 22nd in the world. Italian Jannik Sinner, the newly-crowned Australian Open champion, peaked at No. 133 during his junior days. China’s Zhang Zhizhen, the top Asian on the ATP Tour, had a career-high junior ranking of No. 166.

Chan said: “It gives me inspiration to see so many good players ranked around where I am.”

Looking for sponsorship to defray costs

The youngster acknowledged that financial support plays a big part in entering more tournaments and climbing the ranking. Equipment, coaching, accommodation and travel expenses can quickly add up to a six-figure sum and Chan is looking for sponsorship to defray costs borne by his parents.

Beyond supporting Chan financially and emotionally, his parents have also instilled in him a no excuses mentality.

“Just because he’s 1.8m now doesn’t mean he is not disadvantaged but we don’t look at that any more,” Edmund said. “That’s just finding excuses for yourself. If this is what you want to do, suck it up, do other things you can to improve.”

Chan is clear on what he hopes to achieve. He wants to play National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division 1 tennis and to compete at Roland Garros, the All England Lawn Tennis Club and Flushing Meadows.

“I still have three more (junior) Slams to go (this year),” he said of the junior championships at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. “The goal is to play those and hopefully do better than this time.”

If he manages to do that, there is a good chance that he will be standing tall and proud.

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