As the final ball of the semifinals landed, 22-year-old Bu Yunchao, who called himself a “loser” for the match, received a standing ovation from fans at Diamond Court. With a smile, he exchanged handshakes with his opponent.
Although he lost the match, Bu walked away with something much more significant. Competing against world number one Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the 2024 China Open, he achieved his best result ever in the tournament.
It’s surprising to learn that Bu’s story is unlike that of most tennis athletes. Hailing from Inner Mongolia and raised in a children’s village in Xinjiang, he rose to join the Zhejiang provincial tennis team entirely from scratch. If you were to sum up his journey, it would be: a young man whimsically tossed by fate, yet also favored by it.
“Nobody has walked the same path as me,” Bu stated when asked if he aspires to be a particular type of player. Unlike many other sports, the financial demands of nurturing a tennis player can be immense. In a field often seen as a “rich man’s sport,” Bu stands out—as no one else has experienced what he has.
From the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang—where “Bortala” translates to “blue grassland” in Mongolian—his name, Bu Yunchao, signifies auspiciousness and fortune. Yet, the promise of those meanings didn’t shine through during his childhood, which was marked by unpredictability.
After losing his father at a young age and living with his grandparents following his mother’s remarriage, Bu found himself at the Urumqi SOS Children’s Village, an organization dedicated to helping kids like him. Liu Peibao, the housemother who raised him, described Bu as small in stature but incredibly clever.
When you talk about Bu Yunchao, you can’t ignore the impact of Luo Yong—a man deeply dedicated to both tennis and children. Years ago, Luo moved to Huzhou in northern Zhejiang Province, quickly recognizing a talent gap in the local tennis scene. An encounter with a destitute child inspired him to look for talent among those in welfare institutions.
He set off on a journey across Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Yunnan, searching for children with a spark for athletics. By chance, a five-year-old Bu traveled from Urumqi’s SOS Village to a small city in the south—nearly crossing half of China. That experience opened doors for Bu in tennis, arguably the best path available to him at the time. Luo also emphasized the importance of discipline and encouraged the kids to attend school.
Initially, Bu didn’t understand the concept of “goals”—he simply reveled in playing tennis. Over time, he gained a reputation as a hard worker, dominating his service games with aggressive forehands, and displaying top-notch serve quality and baseline exchanges.
Bu’s competitive style stems from his formative years. During three years at the Huzhou Tennis Center, he honed his technical skills, often running 6 kilometers to the shores of Taihu Lake for fitness. This dedication instilled the grit necessary for success in sports.
Reflecting on his journey, Bu believes he has mostly experienced a steady ascent. Joining the Zhejiang provincial tennis team, he met his second mentor, Coach Yu Jinxing, whom he fondly refers to as his master. Just recently, at the Hangzhou Tennis Open, Bu defeated veteran player Mikhail Kukushkin, marking his first breakthrough into the Top 100 and reaching his first tour semifinal.
Overwhelmed with emotion after the match, he buried his face in a towel, tears streaming down. Taking a deep breath to regain his composure before approaching the box, he embraced Coach Yu, recalling the trials of his childhood.
“I must thank my master and my teammates,” he expressed, recognizing the obstacles he overcame to arrive at this moment. With years of training behind him, Bu has subconsciously come to consider Zhejiang his second home. As he soaked in the cheers from the crowd, he found it hard to articulate his emotions and choked up several times.
Even as a fierce competitor on the court, Bu admits to shedding tears after matches. He remembers his first tour victory last October, where he struggled to keep his emotions in check and ended up crying on the court.
Defining himself is not straightforward; he simply says, “I have come from the bottom up.” In his youth, Bu reached the fifth position in the world junior rankings, but the transition to professional status proved challenging. Missing critical wildcard opportunities due to the pandemic delayed his access to international competitions.
“I missed that wave of advantages meant for 18 and 19-year-olds. When I turned 20, I had to start from the lowest levels of the ITF tournaments,” he explained. Although that journey took him a year, 2023 saw Bu finally breaking into the ATP rankings, viewing this uphill struggle as a valuable experience rather than a setback.
“I hope to be myself, right? I just want to be myself,” he resolutely shares. Growing up in Jiangnan, he developed a gentler worldview. While he still longs for the freedom of the wide-open steppe, he proudly promotes his hometown, Selim Lake.
Bu’s family remains in Xinjiang, and whenever he returns home, he treasures the moments of riding horses freely. Given a choice between superficial beauty and a soulful character, he would unhesitatingly choose the latter.
In his downtime away from the court, Bu is a passionate sports enthusiast, enjoying everything from soccer to equestrianism to MotoGP. “I love all sports,” he declares. During challenging times, he finds strength in literature, particularly resonating with a passage from Mu Xin’s “Literary Memoirs” that emphasizes overcoming one challenge after another. This sentiment drives him on the court.
Bu’s stellar performances in a series of North American Challenger events and the US Open have recently boosted his world ranking, making him the fourth male player from mainland China to break into the Top 100. However, his ambitions stretch beyond this milestone.
As he prepared for the China Open, Bu quietly repeated a mantra: “Believe that I can do better.” He refrains from publicly declaring his expectations, fearing that it may disrupt his progress. By relieving the pressure of results, he has deepened his understanding of tennis, learning to savor the game without feeling the need to constantly prove himself.
In a highly anticipated “China Derby” against Shang Juncheng, the two showcased contrasting styles of play: Bu’s aggressive serves and powerful shots against Shang’s nimbleness and consistency. It was a closely contested match, with each player claiming a set, but Bu ultimately prevailed with a commanding serve on his first match point.
Following this victory, Bu continued his winning momentum, advancing to the quarterfinals and then the semifinals, achieving the best result for a male Chinese player in the tournament’s history. With his sights now set on breaking into the Top 50, Bu remains committed to taking things step by step. “As for the Top 10, I first need to reach the Top 50, so I just focus on doing my best,” he said.
As the Chinese season unfolds, Bu has already surpassed his year-end goals, feeling as if the journey has been smooth sailing thus far. Looking ahead, he aims to solidify his ranking and compete as a direct entrant at next year’s Australian Open.
After his quarterfinal win, Bu rode his bike, sharing the joy of his victory with friends far and wide, hoping such moments of triumph will become the norm in the future.
In his own words, “Let’s see what happens next.” The story of Bu Yunchao continues to unfold as he embraces his journey in tennis.
