Korea’s Son Praises Teammates for Making 100th Appearance Memorable

South Korea's Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring the goal against Chile during a friendly match at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, South Korea, Monday, June 6, 2022. (AP)
South Korea's Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring the goal against Chile during a friendly match at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, South Korea, Monday, June 6, 2022. (AP)
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Korea’s Son Praises Teammates for Making 100th Appearance Memorable

South Korea's Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring the goal against Chile during a friendly match at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, South Korea, Monday, June 6, 2022. (AP)
South Korea's Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring the goal against Chile during a friendly match at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, South Korea, Monday, June 6, 2022. (AP)

South Korea forward Son Heung-min thanked his teammates for making his 100th appearance in national colors one to remember after they recovered from a drubbing against Brazil last week to ease past Chile on Monday.

Son marked the landmark with a stunning late free kick to seal the 2-0 win over 10-man Chile after Hwang Hee-chan had put the hosts in front with a first-half strike.

"More so than my goal, I want to thank my teammates for competing in this match with such a great attitude," Son was quoted as saying by the Yonhap News Agency after the win in Daegu.

"It's always difficult to bounce back so quickly after the kind of loss we had against Brazil. But everyone showed a lot of mental toughness. I am so happy to have won my 100th match."

The World Cup-bound Koreans were thumped 5-1 by Brazil in Seoul last Thursday, with Son later saying that he was hopeful that the defeat would be a learning experience for his side.

"It would have been awkward if people had congratulated me on my 100th match after a loss," added the 29-year-old.

Son enjoyed a prolific season with Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 24 times and providing 10 assists across all competitions as Antonio Conte's team secured Champions League qualification.

Asked if he ever thought he would reach 100 caps, Son said: "Time has flown by, and I've barely had time to reflect. I've dreamed about maybe reaching the century mark one day, but mostly, I've been trying not to get too ahead of myself."

Korea will host Paraguay in a friendly on Friday before taking on Egypt four days later.



Number of Tennis Players Worldwide Goes Past 100 Million, Federation Says

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Final - Italy v Netherlands - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 24, 2024  Italy's Jannik Sinner during his singles match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Final - Italy v Netherlands - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 24, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner during his singles match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Jon Nazca
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Number of Tennis Players Worldwide Goes Past 100 Million, Federation Says

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Final - Italy v Netherlands - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 24, 2024  Italy's Jannik Sinner during his singles match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Final - Italy v Netherlands - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 24, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner during his singles match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Jon Nazca

The number of people who play tennis has surpassed 100 million worldwide, according to the International Tennis Federation.
A global report released by the federation on Thursday said that nearly 106 million people around the world played at least one game of tennis in the last year, an increase of 25% compared to 2019.
According to The Associated Press, the federation said it was on track to add 30 million players to the game since that report in 2019.
The total number of women who play tennis grew by 8%, but the proportion of female players decreased from 47% in 2019 to 40% now. The federation said there are 13% more coaches in general, and 24% are women, compared to 20% in 2019.
ITF tennis development director Luca Santilli said there was no “specific reason" for the decrease in the percentage of women players, but he expected that the increase in the number of female coaches was going to help make a “difference” in getting more women playing the game.