Shang Juncheng, Arthur Fils on the sporting influence of parents | ATP tour

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Shang and Fils reflect on the sporting influence of parents

Both stars will compete at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF

December 17, 2024

You could say that Shang Juncheng was born to become a top athlete.

The Chinese star has firmly established himself as one of the top talents on the 2024 ATP Tour, rising to career No. 47 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Dealing with a meteoric rise can be difficult for any young talent, but Shang has not one, but two former professional athletes on hand to provide sage advice: his parents, ex-footballer Shang Yi and ex-table tennis player Wu Na.

“I think I am where I am today because of them,” Shang told ATPTour.com in Jeddah on Tuesday ahead of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where he will compete as the fourth seed. “I think for every player the parents are the most important. Ultimately, it's the people around you – your team, your coach, your family – I think they are the most important to me.

“They definitely really understand what it's like to be a professional athlete. We always have conflicts about things. It's never perfect, and there are definitely ups and downs, but at the end of the day we try not to argue about it. More to describe your own feelings and express how you feel on the field, and what you need to improve. Ultimately, it's all about communication.”

Regular communication from a parent has also been crucial to Arthur Fils' development. The Frenchman may not have a parent who played professional sports, but his father played basketball at a high level as a teenager. Jean-Philippe Fils passed on his competitive advantage to his son, who is now a Top 20 player at just 20 years old.

“It's always been the same,” said Jeddah top seed Fils when asked about the important advice his father had given him for his tennis. “The same sentence, but always logical. 'Never give up', give 100 percent and we'll see, and you don't come on the field to compete, you come on the field to win.”

Both Fils and Shang have done that a lot. The Frenchman increased his tour-level title tally to three in 2024 with ATP 500 wins in Hamburg and Tokyo, while Shang forged a breakthrough in Chengdu, where he became the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour title on home soil. Even if following that considerable early success proves difficult, the 19-year-old knows he can always turn to a positive family environment.

“The most important thing is that they never put any pressure on me, whether I win or lose,” Shang said. “It's always part of the game, and as athletes I think they know it's part of the game. For me to enjoy it and give 100 percent of my effort was all they wanted, even with me turning pro last year. They want me to generally enjoy myself and just have fun on the pitch.

“One of the most important pieces of advice they gave me is that I have to concentrate day in, day out. You don't just become a great player with one practice. Other players work super hard every day for their goals, for their dreams. That's what my parents tell me every day: 'Hey Jerry, you had a good day today, but you have to repeat it the next day. Repeat it and repeat it again, and you will become a better person and a better player.”

There are plenty of examples of children of athletes following their parents into the same sport: from NBA star Bronny James (son of LeBron James) to NFL stars Eli and Peyton Manning (sons of Archie Manning) and ATP Tour players like Casper Ruud and Sebastian Korda. Fils and Shang may not play the same sport as their respective sports parents, but they still have firsthand experience with their abilities.

“[My dad] played basketball until he was 18. When he played, he was quite good,” said the number 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings Fils. “I've never seen him play, but sometimes we play together. When we play, he will definitely win at basketball. One hundred percent. I would say my father is [physically] pretty explosive, and I'd say I got this from him.

“My parents certainly play a big role in my development, perhaps the biggest. Of course on the court I am the one playing and holding the racket, but they always support me and help me a lot. They play a big role.”

Jean-Philippe Fils and Arthur Fils plays basketball. Photo credit: Getty Images