Lee Duck-hee (
Korean: 이덕희; born 29 May 1998) is a South Korean professional
tennis player. He has won 10 titles on the
ITF Junior Circuit as a teenager, including Grade 2 tournaments in
Nanjing and
Sarawak.
Personal life
Lee was born deaf. On the tennis court, he can hear vibrations, but must rely on hand gestures to pick up line calls and the umpire.[1] In 2015, his story was included during a campaign for the
ANZ Bank, which was a sponsor for the Australian Open that year.[2]
Professional career
He turned pro in 2013. He played his first Challenger match at age 14. In August 2019 he became the first deaf player to compete in and win a match in the main draw of an ATP tournament with a win over
Henri Laaksonen at the Winston-Salem Open.[3]
Lee Duck-hee (
Korean: 이덕희; born 29 May 1998) is a South Korean professional
tennis player. He has won 10 titles on the
ITF Junior Circuit as a teenager, including Grade 2 tournaments in
Nanjing and
Sarawak.
Personal life
Lee was born deaf. On the tennis court, he can hear vibrations, but must rely on hand gestures to pick up line calls and the umpire.[1] In 2015, his story was included during a campaign for the
ANZ Bank, which was a sponsor for the Australian Open that year.[2]
Professional career
He turned pro in 2013. He played his first Challenger match at age 14. In August 2019 he became the first deaf player to compete in and win a match in the main draw of an ATP tournament with a win over
Henri Laaksonen at the Winston-Salem Open.[3]