This weekend kicks off the Australian Open 2026, a tournament that young tennis player Ly Hoang Nam dreamed of participating in 10 years ago. In early 2023, the number 1 Vietnamese male tennis player was on the reserve list to participate in the first Grand Slam qualifiers of the year, but because no tennis players gave up, he missed the opportunity.
Currently, Hoang Nam is one of the leading players of... pickleball in Vietnam. Also in the early days of 2026, he is officially no longer on the VTF rankings. Along with the fact that some other players also left tennis to switch to pickleball and tennis.
Vietnam is in a state of "slow play".Not to the point of crisis, but also difficult to bring the feeling of being able to be "like before".
The question is, how to revive Vietnamese tennis?The first thing to do is not to blame the "invasion" of pickleball, but to ask yourself: What will tennis give athletes so that they can stick, dream and live with the profession?
The core issue of Vietnamese tennis lies in the ecosystem. Youth training is fragmented and lacks depth. Domestic tournaments are organized but have not created economic and media value. The path from young talents to professional athletes is too narrow, too risky, and mostly invested by families.
Vietnamese tennis needs to return to very basic things. Consider youth training as the root. No need for a magnificent academy, but a standard training network, linked to schools and localities, where children can access tennis early, properly and with a clear roadmap.
Next is the tournament system, both domestically and internationally. Organizing 4 ATP tournaments in 2026, even at the Challenger 50 level, is already a good opportunity for players, from the goal of competing with opponents from Asia and Europe, accumulating points, earning income. One of the factors maintaining motivation is the inspiring story. If not yet, let's start with Learner Tien, for example, the Vietnamese-American player who won the ATP Next Gen Finals 2025 shows the effectiveness of a good environment.
Putting aside the "hatred" for pickleball, it is necessary to understand that in a dynamic society, without self-innovation, without creating value, being left behind is inevitable.
