Wu's comeback Hangzhou homecoming

pa href="https://www.atptour.com/en/players/yibing-wu/wb32/overview"Wu Yibing/a was around 14 years old when he noticed a strange swelling on his left foot. The on-and-off pain was the result of a slight fracture that did not require immediate surgery, but doctors advised that it would likely need treatment in the future./p

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After nearly a decade of waiting, Wu opted for surgery late last year. It was a tough moment for the Chinese star who was in the form of his life. A fierce competitor with a fierce forehand, Wu triumphed at the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/dallas/424/overview'Dallas Open/a to become Chinarsquo;s lone ATP Tour titlist in February 2023. He later hit a career-high No. 54 in the PIF ATP Rankings./p

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But shortly after the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/us-open/560/overview'US Open/a, Wu was forced to put an early end to his dream year./p

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ldquo;I felt like it bothered me a lot last year after the grass season. Maybe the surface change and also the shoes, I didnrsquo;t feel really used to,rdquo; Wu told ATPTour.com at the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/hangzhou/4713/overview'Hangzhou Open/a, where he is competing in front of his home fans this week. ldquo;So I started to feel it more after grass and thatrsquo;s why I decided to do the surgery after the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/us-open/560/overview'US Open/a.rdquo;/p

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Since undergoing surgery, Wu has competed in just one ATP Tour event (Houston this year). Then he missed an additional four-and-a-half months. Wu did not compete from March 2019 until January 2022 due to several injuries, including issues with his elbow, which required surgery, his lower back, shoulder and wrist./p

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ldquo;I think the tougher parts of life always teach you something. I think we can all take these parts as motivation,rdquo; Wu said. ldquo;Mentally I will be even tougher because of the things Irsquo;ve [been] through. It's not easy for everybody.rdquo;/p

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Wursquo;s latest comeback featured a positive start. He immediately won his fifth ATP Challenger Tour title in August in Jinan, China. It was just his second outing of the year./p

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ldquo;That was very special. I feel like the work I put in before starting to play again was all worth it,rdquo; Wu said. ldquo;A lot of practice, a lot of effort outside the tournaments. A lot of work in the gym. Hopefully everything can come together, [I can] be healthy and play good tennis again.rdquo;/p

pimg src="/-/media/images/news/2024/08/24/12/51/yibing-jinanch-2024.jpg?w=100%25amp;hash=86502B8304761A06BCF6BC7CCA65E83C" style="width:100%;" alt="Wu Yibing triumphs at the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/archive/jinan/7746/2024/results'2024 Jinan Open/a." /br /

emsupWu Yibing triumphs at the ATP Challenger Tour 50 event in Jinan. Credit: Jinan Openbr /

/sup/emFor many Chinese fans, this yearrsquo;s Asian hard-court swing marks the first time they can watch Wu in person since his rapid rise in 2023./p

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Competing this week in his birth city Hangzhou, Wu is making his first ATP Tour appearance on Chinese soil since 2018. It is a grand homecoming for the World No. 566./p

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ldquo;I actually drove by the West Lake a few days ago and the facility was right there. It brings me back. A lot of good memories,rdquo; Wu said. ldquo;As a young kid, four or five years old, playing with regular racquets, which were cleaning the floor!rdquo;/p

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Nine months into the season, the wild card Wu will aim for his first tour-level win of the year when he faces #NextGenATP a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/coleman-wong/w0bh/overview'Coleman Wong/a in the first round./p

p[NEWSLETTER FORM]/p