Buyun Chaokete: The new coach collaboration shows initial results, hoping to play at least another seven to eight years

On January 19th Beijing time, the first round of the 2026 Australian Open men's singles continued. Chinese player Buyun Chaokete was defeated by the 21st seed Shapovalov with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-7(3), 1-6.

After the match, Buyun Chaokete commented: “I felt some pain in my wrist during the third set. I already felt some discomfort when serving, and the painkillers didn’t take effect quickly enough, which made me worried while playing baseline forehands and serving. But I think the first two sets were a very high-quality match.”

Buyun Chaokete during an interview

Buyun Chaokete stated that Shapovalov’s serving and return were both at a very high level today. “His serve today was unlike anything I’ve faced before, making it very hard to predict, including his second serve which was even tougher to handle than the first. Although sometimes he double-faulted on the first serve, giving me an opportunity on the second, in reality, with his first serve efficiency so high, the pressure was intense when I faced his second serve. I felt that the chance to win the point was rare, and the spatial awareness on court shrank, so many of my movements weren’t precise. I valued that point too much and treated it like a big opportunity, which led to me not returning well.”

This season, Buyun Chaokete has been working with Swedish tennis legend Lindstedt. At the end of his first Grand Slam, he admitted he has already felt the benefits. “I have always been someone who can hold serve well, so he has brought new ideas to my service games, making them easier to play. This allows me to put more energy into returning opponents’ serves and helps avoid tiebreaks or be more effective on my serve points during tiebreaks.”

“I don’t know if everyone has noticed, but in these recent matches, my first serve speed has dropped significantly, especially during crucial moments. I want more variety, better integration of my body into the serve, and a higher first serve success rate to win those points, so I can focus more on returning my opponent’s shots.”

Today is Buyun Chaokete’s 24th birthday. Although still a newcomer in the tennis world, he admits he is no longer very young. “Even though I haven’t spent a long time on the tour, I’ve experienced quite a lot, so I feel somewhat conflicted. Overall, I hope to continue playing for at least another seven to eight years.” While wishing Buyun Chaokete a happy birthday, we also hope he keeps moving forward steadily in the new year and soon achieves his first Grand Slam main draw victory.

(Written and edited by: Dato)