The very thought of competing at an Olympic-qualifying event, such as the Asian Games, can take a huge toll on the mind and body. Players like Kwon Soon-Woo would have to go through immense and long sessions of training while simultaneously conditioning the mind to be strong enough to handle the pressure in front of a crowd. It’s not an easy feat for anyone, and we can only imagine how the athletes feel whenever they lose in a match they’ve been preparing for months and all their efforts go to naught.
At the Asian Games 2023 last September 25, spectators witnessed an athlete lose in a match and expressed what he felt so outrightly at that moment. South Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-Woo lashed out in court after his devastating loss of 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 against Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej in the men’s single round in Hangzhou.
#WATCH South Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-woo displayed intense frustration by refusing a handshake and angrily smashing his racket after losing the men's singles tennis at the #AsianGames2023 2-1 to Kasidit Samrej of Thailand on Monday.#Hangzhou #AsianGames #亚运会 pic.twitter.com/FctyjTIfko
— Ifeng News (@IFENG__official) September 25, 2023
The tennis player smashed his racket “eleven times”.
A video of Kwon’s post-match behavior quickly spread on social media, X (formerly Twitter) , where he was seen smashing his racket on the court before smashing it on a chair near the umpire. And after arranging a few of his things in the chair, he picked up the racket again, only to smash it once more on the floor.
He then turned his back on everybody and proceeded to arrange his things again. His opponent, Samrej, then approached Kwon, who was making his way out of the court, for a handshake but was ignored.
The possible reason as to why Kwon Soon-Woo lashed out
It was later revealed that South Korean players compete at the Olympics and Asian Games for so much more than a gold medal—an exemption from military service. Fans suspected that this was the reason why the Kwon lashed out on the court, as he no longer had the chance to be exempted from the military service.
As explained by PhoenixCNE News on their X account:
“According to the relevant regulations of South Korea, winning an Olympic medal and an Asian Games gold medal can be exempted from military service.”
#WATCH 🇰🇷South Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-woo smashed his racket and refused to shake hands with his opponent after losing the men's singles tennis at the #AsianGames2023 2-1 to Kasidit Samrej of Thailand on Monday.
According to the relevant regulations of South Korea,… pic.twitter.com/9YF5Je0U1z
— 凤凰欧洲 PhoenixCNE News (@PhoenixCNE_News) September 25, 2023
Fans have since lambasted Kwon for his unruly behavior after the match:
“Sportmanship gone??”- @blinkming
Sportmanship gone??
— blinkming (@blinkming) September 26, 2023
“As an athlete, this behavior is very impolite, no respect for the opponent, no respect for the organizers, and no respect for myself”- @YaoZhan64720829
As an athlete, this behavior is very impolite, no respect for the opponent, no respect for the organizers, and no respect for myself
— Yao (@YaoZhan64720829) September 25, 2023
“He lost both as a tennis player and as a person”.-@takomi
He lost both as a tennis player and as a person.
— たこみ (@takomi) September 27, 2023
Losing in a tournament is an extremely painful experience, especially when so much is at stake. And no one can tell you how to express your anger and frustration at your defeat, however, the player, Kwon, could have at least shown his sportsmanship first at the event.
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