Wimbledon was dream come true for La Hunn

Lam

Getting to play at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club last month when he became the youngest player in Wimbledon history was a dream come true for La Hunn Lam.

Lam, who recently won the boys 14 and under division of the 2022 North Pacific Regional Championships in Guam, said nothing really prepares you to play in the biggest grand slam event of the year. 

“I felt nervous and excited. However, as a tennis player it was an honor to participate in Wimbledon. It was a dream come true indeed. Playing against players from all over the world, who are the top in their country, is definitely the best part of my Wimbledon experience.”

The 12-year-old said aside from going up against the best 14 and under tennis players in the world, playing in Wimbledon also afforded him the chance to see and meet the best tennis players in the world. 

Hunn Lam with his Spanish coaches Alex Praderas and Tony Nadal while preparing for Wimbledon in Mallorca, Spain. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

“Getting to meet my idols was the highlight. Some of the world-ranked players I’ve met were Novak Djokovic, who was warming up right beside my court; and Andy Murray, who waved a hello while I was walking in the player’s area of Wimbledon; and of course Billie Jean King. It was all a prestigious experience to meet them all together at Wimbledon.”

After the NPRC in Guam, Lam is back on Saipan training with CNMI sports hall of famer and national coach Jeff Race. He will be part of the CNMI’s crack 15-player delegation that will represent the region in the 2022 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in Lautoka, Fiji.

Lam, who grew up on Saipan before moving to Mallorca, Spain a couple of years ago, said being back on the island is great since he missed it so much. 

Lam and another Oceania netter, Aishi Das of New Zealand, were selected by the Oceania Tennis Federation to represent the region in the Inaugural 14U Championships at Wimbledon that took place from July 7 to 10, 2022.

While Lam didn’t win any of his matches against older and more experienced junior tennis players, he did create some waves after an impressive match against No. 2 seed Matei Todoran of Romania.

He played the No. 2 seed and lost 6-1, 6-2 but played with confidence and a lot of poise for his age. In fact, he actually led 2-0 in the second set against Todoran.

Todoran actually didn’t lose a set throughout the Inaugural 14U Championships at Wimbledon and culminated his perfect run by beating No. 6 seed Maximilian Heidlmair of Austria in the finals, 6-3, 6-1.

Before the breakthrough match against the eventual Inaugural 14U Championships champion, Lam lost his first two matches. Lam went down, 6-1, 6-0, in his first round match against Benjamin Chelia of Argentina. He also lost 6-0, 6-0, against Keaton Hance of the U.S. in his second round match.