Ly Hoang Nam missed the Australian Open 2023
Before the tournament, Ly Hoang Nam ranked 244th in the world (ATP) and 14th in the list of 30 reserve players of the tournament. By the closing day, Hoang Nam rose to fifth, but still not enough to reach the goal of qualifying.
According to regulations, the final round of the Australian Open 2023 has 128 players competing. 112 of these enter directly based on ATP rank, special rank or protection rate. The remaining 16 places were selected from a competition between the next 128 players in the qualifying round.
In theory, Hoang Nam's ranking is eligible to participate, but in reality, many players are allowed to participate based on protection or priority. Therefore, Hoang Nam is only on the reserve list, waiting for other players to give up to take his place.
On January 5, Hoang Nam and coach Tran Quoc Phong applied for a visa, paid for air tickets, and stayed in Australia to wait for the opportunity. Although the goal was not achieved, coach Phong said: "From the beginning, we determined that the chances of participating were slim, but this is an opportunity for Nam to breathe the Grand Slam atmosphere."
The trip to Australia was also not wasted for Ly Hoang Nam when he met many famous tennis players. On his personal Facebook page, Hoang Nam posted a photo with Rafael Nadal - the number one seed of the Australian Open 2023 after Carlos Alcaraz quit due to injury. In addition, Hoang Nam's teachers and students also actively contacted some players to practice with Wu Yibing of China (116 ATP), Elias Ymer of Sweden (127 ATP).
Missing an appointment with the Australian Open, Hoang Nam's goal in the near future is to compete in the Challenger 50, 80. With the current rank, Nam can go straight to the main round. He will accumulate points towards reaching the top 200 and then 100 ATP, and at the same time aiming to qualify for other Grand Slams of the year such as Roland Garos, US Open.
In the immediate future, Nam is expected to attend the Bangkok Open 3 tournament of the Challenger 50 system in Thailand. Last year, he won the Bangkok Open 1 runner-up.
