Australian tennis pro Li Tu lost to Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open ...
Australian tennis pro Li Tu’s time at the U.S. Open may have come to a close, but some fans still think he served.
Tu, 28, went viral on social media this week, earning love from tennis aficionados despite his loss Tuesday to third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the first round. Tu — who was making his U.S. Open debut — drew praise for his honesty and humor during the high-pressure contest, even toward opponents.
In an ESPN interview after his loss, Tu was candid about how he felt seeing Alcaraz, a high-profile player, for the first time at his match.
“We go to the coin toss, and he took his jacket off. And I was like, ‘Dude, this guy’s a specimen,’” Tu told ESPN, laughing. “I just couldn’t stop looking at his shoulder definition and the veins. And the forehand says it. I mean, he’s got some serious, serious weaponry.”
Rennae Stubbs, an Australian coach and former pro, soon declared him the best interview of the tournament.
The 186-ranked Tu won one set in a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 loss to Alcaraz, putting up an impressive fight against the four-time Grand Slam champion. But perhaps more admirable to fans was Tu’s remarkably human moments throughout the contest. He chuckled after he missed an underhand serve, and fans praised him for responding to the mishap with laughter, rather than anger.
In another interview, he admitted that he found out about his match against Alcaraz in the most unexpected way.
“I got a random message on Instagram from a fan who’s been watching all my matches, saying, and I quote, ‘Li, your opponent is Carlos Alcaraz,’” he told Sky Sports Tennis. “And I just read it, and I was like, ‘No way.’”
While many have been charmed by Tu’s humor, his backstory is bittersweet. Tu, who was born in Adelaide to Chinese immigrants, began his tennis career when he was a child. While his father was, at times, demanding of him, Tu told ATPTour.com, his mother, Yu Ping Zheng, just hoped he was having fun.
“My mom just wanted me to be happy. She would honestly ask, ‘You sure you want to play tennis? Like, it’s really hot out there, it’s a lot of hard work, you don’t have to play if you don’t want to,’” Tu told ATP Tour. “As long as I was happy, she really didn’t care if I did well or not.”
Tu stepped away from playing tennis when he was 18 to attend college and coach juniors. He began working toward a comeback six years later, cracking the Top 300 by July 2022. Around the same time, Tu’s mother, who was battling lung cancer, saw her health rapidly decline. In response, Tu moved up his wedding date several months to September that year and took a break to spend time with his mother. She passed away weeks after the ceremony.
“It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life, where less than 20 people were at the wedding, and I got married to Kimberley, and my mom was there,” Tu said, according to ATP Tour. “She passed away on the 24th of September, at 3 a.m. We had the funeral the next Friday.”
During the final round of U.S. Open qualifiers last Thursday, Tu won his match against Jesper de Jong of the Netherlands. He credited his mother’s memory for the victory.
“I was a little bit nervous in the third set and I remember looking up at the change of ends, seeing her face, and just saying, ‘We’ve got this, we’ve got this, we’ve got this,’” Tu told ATP Tour. “She’s still with me. I truly believe that, and I just want to make my parents proud.”
Kimmy Yam
Kimmy Yam is a reporter for NBC Asian America.
