Hurting Heo soldiers on in Japan

The shots were there, the legs were not.

Ji Hoon Heo, who lost his debut in the Hyogo International Junior Tournament 1, admitted his questionable fitness cost him an early exit at the Miki Disaster Management Park Beans Dome in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

Heo bowed to Japan’s Shintaro Imai in straight sets, 1-6, 3-6, last week.

The CNMI top junior netter played in his first tournament in Japan with his legs and ankle hurting.

Heo got these injuries while playing in the 2008 Open Junior BNP Paribas de Nouvelle Caledonie in New Caledonia some two months ago. He rested for a couple of weeks, hoping to ease the pain, while waiting for the kick off of the 2008 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Lautoka, Fiji last month. He was relieved a bit, but the lack of regular training made him quiet lethargic for the POJC.

CNMI coach Jeff Race said Heo made up for his doubtful fitness by relying on his wits to win preliminary matches in POJC. Race and Arriola, who arrived in Fiji a few weeks later than Heo, played several warm-up matches with the MHS student, but still these were not enough to bring him back to his old deadly form.

Heo advanced to the finals, but Race said that since the CNMI netter was not as fit as Lorenzo Pineda of Vanuatu, he lost the title match, 6-4, 6-2.

Heo could not help abut agree with Race’s assessment.

“I could not win the finals in POJC because I was not fit,” said Heo, whose fitness was doubtful anew when he played his first game in Japan on Aug. 27. “When I got these injuries, I learned that being fit is a key to winning.”

“I really have to work on my fitness so I can stay longer and stronger in a game, especially if the match will go to a third set,” the 16-year-old netter said.

Heo is hoping he will recover soon and his rigorous training in Japan will bring him back to his tough form.

Training in Japan starts as early as 6:30am with Heo running and sprinting around the park until 7am. He does a lot of physical training in the morning and evening sessions. The last training sessions ends at 7:30pm.

“I hope to recover soon and make up for that loss in the first tournament,” said Heo.

The CNMI bet will be playing in the Hyogo International Junior Tournament 2, set from Sept. 3 to 7 in the same venue.