On Thursday, Li Tu faced Jesper de Jong on Court 6 in the final round of the US Open qualifiers, under the shadow of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis-specific arena on the planet. The Australian player battled hard in the third set against the Dutchman, even facing two match points while serving at 4-5. His dream of qualifying for his first Grand Slam seemed on the verge of slipping away.
In that critical moment, the 28-year-old recalled his late mother, Zheng Yuping, who passed away nearly two years ago after a courageous battle with lung cancer.
“I was a bit nervous in the third set,” Tu said. “I remember looking up during the changeover and seeing her face, and I just told myself, ‘We’ve got this, we’ve got this, we’ve got this.’ She’s still with me. I truly believe that. I just want to make my parents proud. I know they’d be proud no matter what I do, but I want to make them even prouder.”
Tu fought valiantly and won the match, securing his place in the main draw of the season’s final Grand Slam. For a player who left the sport entirely for six years and then returned only to face the devastating loss of his mother, it was a moment to remember. In the first round of the tournament, Tu will face four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz.
“Honestly, I nearly teared up,” Tu admitted. “I loved that final match because I was thinking, ‘Wow, is this really happening?’ I got a wildcard for the 2021 Australian Open, but how this came about is just so surreal. This time, I earned it. I did it. Qualifying for a Grand Slam is what people dream of, and it was my dream as a kid too. To actually do it, and to do it right, feels amazing.”
Tu’s journey in sports began at the age of five when he accompanied his older brother Chen, ten years his senior, to badminton practice. Growing up in Adelaide, Australia, with Chinese parents—his brother was born in China—Tu initially hit shuttlecocks across the net. A coach noticed his talent and suggested he try tennis, citing better financial prospects in the sport.
Tu’s father, Tu Yixing, was a passionate sports enthusiast, though standing at just 170 cm, his height limited his potential in basketball and volleyball. Despite his father’s encouragement, his mother took a different approach.
“My mom just wanted me to be happy,” Tu recalled. “She’d ask me honestly, ‘Are you sure you want to play tennis? It’s so hot outside, and tennis takes so much effort. If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.’ She really didn’t care whether I played well or not. She just wanted me to be happy. I think she saw that tennis made me happy, or at least succeeding in tennis made me happy, so that’s what she wanted for me.”
Tu’s mother made sure he was well-fed, applied sunscreen, and got enough sleep—all the things a mom does. As he continues his journey at the US Open, he carries her memory with him, knowing that she’s still by his side.
