Leroy 'detours' from his famous father's game
KUALA LUMPUR: His father was a top shuttler and many people thought Leroy Yong would follow in the path of Yong Hock Kin.
But it isn't exactly the case. While the athletic Leroy is a chip off the old block, it's different strokes as he pursues a tennis career.
The promising Hock Kin is determined to make it in professional tennis.
In fact, Hock Kin was the one who encouraged Leroy to take up tennis and supported his development in the sport.
Hock Kin didn't impose on his son to play badminton though he was a former world No. 2 who had won multiple Commonwealth and Asian Games medals. One of the most talented left-handed shuttlers on the World Tour, he was also the first Malaysian to win the coveted men's singles title at the Indonesia Open (1998).
"I started playing tennis when I was about six or seven," said the 21-year-old Leroy recently.
"I actually started playing badminton when I was about three. My dad always brought me to the badminton courts when he was coaching.
"I got a bit sick of badminton because I was playing everyday and almost everyone plays badminton in Malaysia.
"So one day, my dad asked me if I wanted to try and play tennis. It was new to me and interesting, so I started to play.
"He saw I had talent in tennis so he said, 'why don't we give tennis a shot' and started coaching me in tennis."
Hock Kin coached Leroy for a decade before he went on to train under other coaches, including former national champion Ashaari Zainal.
Leroy spent much of his teen years in China, after Hock Kin moved his family there to pursue a coaching career in badminton.
Being in China allowed Leroy to compete in tournaments there and abroad which helped him further his progress as a tennis player.
Leroy won two ITF junior doubles titles in 2019 in Hong Kong and Singapore, and also went deep into a number of singles tournaments.
"We moved back to Malaysia when Covid-19 struck, but I still go back and forth to China to compete there when possible," said Leroy.
"There are more tournaments available in China which makes travelling between events easier. When I am in Malaysia, I usually train at home in Melaka or in Kuala Lumpur.
"I was born in KL but my dad chose to move us to Melaka, which is my mum's hometown, as he does not like the hectic life in KL."
Hock Kin currently operates a badminton academy in Melaka.
Leroy's journey in tennis has not been all smooth sailing as he suffered injuries which sidelined him for six months en route to winning the men's doubles gold, partnering Darrshan Kumar, for Federal Territories at last year's Sarawak Malaysia Games (Sukma).
"I was chasing a ball and slid. I slammed into the net post and injured my rib and my back," said Leroy.
"I was on painkillers after Sukma but after seeing a doctor and doing some tests, I was advised to rest, so I stopped playing tennis for six months.
"But I view it as a good experience for me. I learnt how to recover and strengthen my body. I feel so much better now, I can handle high-intensity training and am playing well again."
Leroy is looking forward to the ITF Futures Tour this year and he hopes to secure sponsorship for his campaign. "Now that I have recovered from injuries, I am hoping to play in more Futures tournaments, both here in Malaysia and abroad," he said.
"I am still young and believe I can do it. I have been inspired by players such as Mitsuki Leong who have been making good progress on tour.
"I have also spoken to Mitsuki's father (and coach) Jeff Leong who encouraged me and gave me good advice on how to improve.
"At the moment, I am hoping to secure sponsors who can support me so I can focus more on tennis without having to worry too much about the costs involved.
"There are a lot of expenses involved to play on tour. This includes flights, hotels, meals, physiotherapy, stringing and so on. Having sponsors onboard would reduce the pressure on me."
Leroy added that he has also been doing coaching to help cover some of his training and competition expenses.
Mitsuki is the current national No. 1, and in 2023 he became the first Malaysian to win an ITF singles title in over two decades.
Leroy has been shortlisted for the Malaysia team for the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group IV competition at National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 14-19.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Pahang's absence a big loss, says former great Zainal
KUALA LUMPUR: Pahang's decision to skip the 2025-2026 Malaysia League (M-League) season is a big loss to Malaysian football, said former Pahang coach Datuk Zainal Abidin Hassan. Zainal, who was also a legend of the Elephants squad, admitted to being affected by the development, as the team not only have a long history in Malaysian football – including winning the Super League, Malaysia Cup and FA Cup – but have also produced many national players. 'This is a sad decision... however, we must respect it (the decision not to compete). But it's a great loss. 'A huge loss for the country's football, the league and Pahang. I hope the situation will recover and Pahang will return,' he said after attending the WRA Academy Football Clinic at the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council Stadium yesterday. However, the Football Association of Malaysia executive committee member believes that talent development in Pahang will not be affected by this. 'In my view, what's missing is the senior team, but the youth teams are still active. That's a positive move. 'I hope these young players won't give up and will work hard to restore Pahang's image until the team return to the top league,' said Zainal, who won the Malaysia Cup with Pahang in 1983 and 1992 as a player. On Friday, the Malaysian Football League announced in a statement that Pahang, despite having obtained the 2025-2026 National Licence, had submitted a confirmation letter dated June 16, 2025, stating their decision to withdraw from the M-League. Pahang finished eighth in last season's Super League with 29 points. The last title won by them was the 2018 FA Cup. — Bernama
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Shuttler Yew Sin has no plans to quit after tying knot with Ohori
Looking resplendent: Ong Yew Sin posing with his wife Aya Ohori. — Yew Sin's Instagram PETALING JAYA: Professional men's doubles shuttler Ong Yew Sin is on cloud nine after tying the knot with his sweetheart, former Japanese women's singles ace Aya Ohori. The couple were officially married in a civil ceremony at the National Registration Department (JPN) in Melaka on Thursday. The 2021 World Championships bronze medallist Yew Sin shared that he was warmly welcomed by his in-laws, with his father-in-law Hitoshi Ohori, who is also the head coach of the Japanese national team, giving his blessing to the union. 'Thankfully, everything went smoothly, though the language barrier did make things a bit tricky,' said Yew Sin. 'I wouldn't say it was easy or difficult, but I was definitely nervous when I decided to propose.' Yew Sin said he would continue to be based in Malaysia to focus on his career with men's doubles partner Teo Ee Yi, while Ohori may travel back and forth to Japan if any job opportunities come her way. Ohori retired from international competition at the end of last year. Earlier this year, she took up a journalism role covering the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen in April. 'After the wedding, I'll still be based here most of the time as I want to continue playing for a few more years. As for her, she might be flying back to Japan for some work opportunities.' Yew Sin's wedding ceremony took place at the Marriage and Divorce Division of the JPN, where the pair exchanged vows before assistant registrar Nur Fatehah Razali, witnessed by members of both families. Yew Sin admitted that the process wasn't entirely smooth sailing as he had to handle a fair amount of paperwork since his wife is not a Malaysian citizen. Still, he was grateful for the support he received, which helped ease the process. 'It was a bit of a headache, not because of anything major, but simply because this was something new for me. 'I had to ask a lot of questions and settle many things since my fiancee (now wife) is not a local, so the process was quite different compared to what my friends experienced when they got married. 'Each country has its own procedures, but slowly and surely, everything fell into place,' added Yew Sin.
New Straits Times
12 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Marc Marquez continues MotoGP dominance by winning Mugello sprint
MUGELLO, Italy: Marc Marquez continued his march towards a seventh elite world title by winning Saturday's sprint race at the Italian MotoGP and extending his lead at the top of the championship. The Spanish motorcycling great had to battle back from a disastrous start from pole position at Mugello to claim the full 12 points and move 35 points clear of his closest challenger and brother Alex Marquez. Marc Marquez, who dropped back into the middle of the pack after fluffing his start on his Ducati bike, eventually finished 1.441sec ahead of his second-placed sibling after overtaking him on the fourth lap. "At the start I don't know exactly what happened. The launch code was in, then I took it out and then I put it in again, then I lost a lot of positions," he said. "But we gave a good show out there and we won the sprint race. That was not the main target, the target was to try to not lose a lot of points, but I hope all these Italian fans enjoyed the show because the comeback was super nice." His teammate Francesco Bagnaia, who has won the last three GPs on home soil at Mugello, dropped back a position into third and is now 98 points off the pace in the title race. "I feel a bit disappointed, I would have liked to have given something more to this amazing crowd but unluckily this season I can't do what I know how to do, so it's a bit of a shame," said Bagnaia. "But it is what it is, we have time to solve the problems and try to keep all information possible to try to do something more tomorrow." It was his eighth win from nine sprint races this season after conquering his 100th career pole earlier on Saturday, and sets him up for another perfect weekend in what has been a dream campaign in his first season with Ducati's factory team. Marc Marquez has won the sprint and main race at the Thailand, Argentina, Qatar and Aragon MotoGP with eight race weekends completed so far in 2025. The 32-year-old is already red-hot favourite to draw level with great rival Valentino Rossi on seven world crowns, and move one behind all-time record winner Giacomo Agostini. Rossi was in the stands to watch more domination from Marc Marquez who in September he called a "dirty" rider who actively worked to stop the Italian icon from winning the 2015 title, which would have been his eighth. Jorge Lorenzo won the world crown by five points that year but his overall victory hinged on Marquez and Rossi colliding in the penultimate Malaysian MotoGP. Rossi was penalised for that incident and had to start the year's final GP in Valencia in last place, virtually guaranteeing Lorenzo the title before the race was run.
