More opportunities to experience
The pickleball court in Tay Ho district (Hanoi) recently witnessed Ly Hoang Nam compete in the VPO Pickleball Hanoi Open 2025 (closing on January 13). At the end of the competition, Ly Hoang Nam and his teammate Wong Hong-kit (Hong Kong, China) conquered the men's open doubles event.
Hoang Nam confided that this was the first tournament in 2025 and the championship trophy was personally meaningful to him. “Thank you to everyone who came to watch and support the athletes throughout the tournament,” Ly Hoang Nam expressed his feelings when he won the championship.
Recalling last October, Ly Hoang Nam first participated in the PPA Tour Australia - Vietnam Open 2024 Pickleball Tournament in Ba Ria-Vung Tau. It was the first professional-level tournament that this top Vietnamese tennis player participated in.
At that tournament, Ly Hoang Nam revealed that he started to get acquainted with pickleball to experience and gain more feeling in this sport. Many people asked Hoang Nam whether pickleball is attractive enough to capture the passion of this player more than tennis or not and Hoang Nam affirmed that he is in the period of experimenting and getting acquainted and has not said anything yet.
Now, after more than 3 months, at the 2025 VPO Pickleball Hanoi Open, Hoang Nam said what is important to him: "I am always comfortable when competing in tournaments and the matches bring me excitement." That is, the Tay Ninh player sees the comfort that the new sport is bringing to him.
The attraction of pickleball has made many table tennis, badminton and tennis players spend all their time practicing and playing this sport. Ly Hoang Nam has not completely left tennis to focus on pickleball. As the tennis player said, he wants to get acquainted and create new inspiration in the sport and then make the most suitable choice.
Tennis is still the goal for success
Ly Hoang Nam is still the best ranked Vietnamese tennis player on the ATP rankings. Hoang Nam holds the 621st position. Throughout his journey of developing a high-performance sports career, Ly Hoang Nam has been associated with the highest level tournaments of Vietnamese tennis.
According to experts, in the near future, Vietnamese tennis will not find anyone with the same level as Ly Hoang Nam at any level. In 2024, Ly Hoang Nam will still represent Vietnam in professional tournaments organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). However, the championship has not come to Ly Hoang Nam.
Ly Hoang Nam once affirmed that he has a passion for tennis and wants to achieve the highest international achievements. At the age of 28, Ly Hoang Nam is determined to achieve more achievements in professional tennis, although the attraction of pickleball is a significant pressure on this tennis player's mind.
“I still want to practice and compete in professional tennis. Recently, some of my tennis results have not been good, so I want to have a stable period of time to prepare more thoroughly,” said Ly Hoang Nam.
In 2012, Ly Hoang Nam began to participate in tournaments in the youth and professional systems of world tennis. Hoang Nam was recognized as one of the youngest tennis players to ever win the men's singles championship at the National Championship (in 2012, Ly Hoang Nam won the championship at the age of 15).
“When I enter the field, I always focus on observing and following the ball. I look at the trajectory of the ball so that I can have a plan to deal with it, not looking at the opponent. This is what helps me achieve important results in many decisive matches,” Ly Hoang Nam shared about his expertise.
Similar to tennis, the pickleball ball is yellow-green. On any playing field (tennis or pickleball), when participating, Ly Hoang Nam affirms that he is always very focused on his expertise with the highest determination without being superficial. That is the reason why coaches recognize Ly Hoang Nam as different from many other tennis players in Vietnam. Also because, Ly Hoang Nam always maintains his tenacity, plays the ball persistently on the field and never backs down in the face of any difficulties.
Fans waiting for Hoang Nam to attend SEA Games 33
Ly Hoang Nam is a tennis player who has achieved a feat in Vietnamese men's tennis by reaching the finals of the men's singles event at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) three times in a row. This tennis player won the Gold Medal in the men's singles at the 30th SEA Games (in the Philippines) and the 31st SEA Games (in Vietnam). In the men's singles final at the 32nd SEA Games (in Cambodia), Ly Hoang Nam missed the opportunity to succeed because he lost to Muhammad Rifqi Fitriadi (Indonesia) and received a Silver Medal.
Many people say that Ly Hoang Nam is at the peak of his professional skills, having won the SEA Games, so his motivation to achieve success is almost gone. The number 1 male tennis player in Vietnam has never confirmed that to the media. In all his shares, Hoang Nam always said that he still has all his love for sports and is always devoted to the national flag when competing in important tournaments.
Vietnam Sports still has its own plans for Ly Hoang Nam to aim for the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand. Nothing has been revealed yet. Because at this time Ly Hoang Nam wants to maintain the best mental state and still has a lot of time to prepare until the 33rd SEA Games begins.
“When I decided to choose the path of a professional athlete and tennis to define my career, I tried very hard. I received investment from the management units and I competed in many important tournaments, so I accumulated more professional development,” Ly Hoang Nam confided.
Ly Hoang Nam has important experiences through many tournaments at all levels, but at each SEA Games, the tennis player still keeps his own emotions.
Remember in the Philippines after winning the first Gold Medal in the men's singles event of the 30th SEA Games, Ly Hoang Nam affirmed: "This is my historic medal. I don't know what to say, I'm too emotional about the result."
On the court in Bac Ninh of the 31st SEA Games tennis event, Ly Hoang Nam successfully defended his Gold Medal in the men's singles. "I was determined to defend my championship title at home. I succeeded. Winning the Gold Medal in my sport at the SEA Games held in Vietnam is what everyone was waiting for and I did it. I would like to thank the fans who always cheered me on to achieve the above results," Ly Hoang Nam expressed at the 31st SEA Games.
Professional forecasts say that the tennis competition at the 33rd SEA Games will be fierce as the top athletes from Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia are starting to prepare. If he maintains his best form, Ly Hoang Nam has a good chance of being awarded an official spot by the Vietnamese sports industry to attend the 33rd SEA Games.
