First deaf player to win a main-draw match on the ATP Tour

Lee Duck-hee (South Korea) was the first deaf player to win a match in the main draw of a tournament on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour, defeating Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen 7-6, 6-1 in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, USA, on 20 August 2019.

Lee, who was diagnosed as deaf at the age of two, was taught to lip-read as a child and does not know sign language. His opponents have acknowledged the huge disadvantages he faces every time he steps on to a court, and not just when it comes to being unable to hear line calls or the match score from the umpire. "You learn so much about how your opponent hits the ball based on the sound of the shot,” said pro Tennys Sandgren. “If you can’t hear it… you have to have insane skill and insane talent.”

In Round 2, Lee took the first set off Hubert Hurkacz, the Polish third seed and eventual winner of the tournament, before losing 6-4, 0-6, 3-6.

Lee, 21, who turned pro in 2013, made his ATP Challenger Tour debut at the age of 14 and played almost exclusively in Asia before testing himself on US hard courts. His current world ranking is 250 (as of 10 October 2019).