‘If I play my best I can beat half the draw’: Unranked wildcard Li Tu ready to turn heads
The timing has been fortuitous for wildcard recipient Li Tu – a teenage tennis prodigy – but for a player without an official ATP ranking he fully believes he deserves his chance in a grand slam event.
The 24-year-old from South Australia, who embarked on another shot at the tennis tour in the middle of 2020 but didn’t travel outside of Australia due to the pandemic, secured the final men’s wildcard spot for the Australian Open.
Li Tu took Andy Murray’s Australian Open wildcard and believes he can beat half the draw if he plays his best. Credit:Michael Dodge
Had five-time runner-up Andy Murray made his way to Australia to utilise the wildcard instead of testing positive for coronavirus, then Tu’s late call-up wouldn’t have materialised.
Tu reconnected with an old mentor Daniel Buberis last year and the message he received was crystal clear: you’ve got the goods, so have another crack.
“He said, ‘Let’s grab a coffee. You’ve still got it, man.’ Then let’s have a chat and get a plan going,” recalled Tu, who has been working as tennis coach in Adelaide.
Tu, among his credentials as a youngster, represented Australia in the 2012 junior Davis Cup, alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis. His fresh assault on the tour began with an initial training session in early August. Since then he’s been one of the hottest players on the Universal Tennis Rating Pro Tour – where numerous Australian players have competed during the pandemic – claiming six events and winning 28 of the 30 matches he played.
Tu picked up a wildcard for the Murray River Open – one of this week’s Australian Open warm-up events – and while narrowly beaten by Portugal’s Pedro Sousa, the experience of an official ATP contest told him he belonged at the level.
“It’s almost an advantage in some ways that there’s no expectations. I know that if I play my best I can actually beat half the draw.”
“There’s a lot of excitement but I also know that I’ve got to play in three days and be ready to compete with the world’s best,” said Tu.
“It’s almost an advantage in some ways that there’s no expectations.
“I know that if I play my best I can actually beat half the draw, I reckon. I say that quite confidently, but I feel like I’m playing well enough where I can beat a lot of these players if I’ve got a good day.
“I just want to make sure that I stay focused and I stay composed because there’s a lot going on.”
Support network: Li Tu has a laugh with his best mate James ahead of the Australian Open. Credit:Michael Dodge
Former Australian player and the coach of women’s world No.2 Simona Halep, Darren Cahill, has been among Tu’s admirers.
Cahill’s children have been some of Tu’s coaching clients.
“He’s a super-great guy, super humble and down to earth,” said Tu.
“Since I’ve been starting to play again, if I’ve won a tournament or he sees a good result, he chucks me a message like, ‘Congrats mate, really good stuff.’ I can’t speak of him highly enough.”
Speculation that Tu might get a wildcard has been running for weeks, but it was never a sure thing from Tennis Australia.
“It’s been an interesting last couple of days because I knew I was a chance. Even a couple of weeks ago I knew that I was a slight chance,” said Tu.
“It won’t change what I’m planning on doing this year. It will just be a bonus, whether or not I got in or didn’t I was still going to travel, do whatever I can to make a mark on the professional scene.”
Regardless, the message from TA’s head of performance Wally Masur to the South Australian was that he’d earned his opportunity.
“I talked to Wally and Darren and they were both like, ‘Keep your head down, you’re not here to make up the numbers. We wouldn’t put you in the draw if we didn’t think you couldn’t beat a lot of these players,’ which was quite reassuring for me because I honestly believe as well … that I’m playing at level where I can turn some heads.”
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