Why did Zhang Zhizhen and Shang Juncheng’s participation in next year’s Australian Open doubles suddenly trend on social media? The reasons behind it are somewhat bittersweet.

No one anticipated that the announcement of Zhang Zhizhen and Shang Juncheng playing doubles at next year’s Australian Open, a seemingly normal matter, would unexpectedly become a hot search topic. Upon closer examination, the reasons behind it are somewhat touching!

When the news was spreading in public opinion, many people doubted its truthfulness. The reason was that both Shang Juncheng and Zhang Zhizhen had suffered injuries to varying degrees this year; it was already remarkable that they could compete in singles matches, so under such special circumstances, who would have extra energy left for doubles at the Australian Open?

It was only after the news was confirmed to be true that, due to heated discussions by fans and netizens, it suddenly shot up to the trending list.

Some people, while expressing their happiness about Shang Juncheng and Zhang Zhizhen competing in next year’s Australian Open doubles, also voiced a rather heartbreaking reason: “Since expectations for their singles performance are low, maybe doubles will allow them to stay longer at Melbourne Park.”

Although this statement may make supporters of Shang Juncheng and Zhang Zhizhen feel a bit uncomfortable, many see it as a blunt truth.

So far, Shang Juncheng has participated in the Australian Open three times, with his best result reaching the third round in 2024; Zhang Zhizhen, counting from qualifying rounds, has appeared five times at Melbourne Park, with his best showing being the second round in 2024.

Their previous Australian Open journeys were based on being generally healthy, but now, after serious injuries and with rankings falling outside the top 100, it is naturally challenging for them to achieve results at Melbourne Park that satisfy the public.

However, one thing that makes people happy for Zhang Zhizhen and Shang Juncheng now is that they seem to have overcome their injury troubles; the former is training in Dongguan during winter, and the latter is preparing for the 2026 season at IMG’s tennis academy. Both appear to be in good shape.

Even if they cannot advance far in singles at next year’s Australian Open, many believe that by participating in doubles, they can stay longer at Melbourne Park, and that statement is certainly reasonable. After all, compared to the more competitive singles and their disadvantaged singles rankings, if they can develop strong teamwork in doubles, there is still a chance to spark some magic.

Nevertheless, this partnership for next year’s Australian Open doubles also represents a major test for them. It remains to be seen what kind of results Zhang Zhizhen and Shang Juncheng will deliver when they eventually say goodbye to Melbourne Park.

Zhang Zhizhen and Shang Juncheng previously teamed up for doubles at the China Open and Shanghai Masters, but unfortunately, both times they were eliminated in the first round. After news surfaced about their pairing for next year’s Australian Open doubles, another bittersweet question quickly arose: can they win this time?

When it comes to doubles, Zhang Zhizhen clearly has more experience than Shang Juncheng.

The former Chinese No.1 partnered with his friend Mahachi in the 2024 Australian Open doubles, delivering a stunning performance with excellent cooperation, reaching the semifinals; later, they teamed up again at the Marseille 250 event and won the title, which remains Zhang Zhizhen’s only career doubles tour-level championship and personal tour title to date.

“Zhang Zhizhen’s doubles skills are very strong. We both had injuries this year and played few matches, so playing doubles at a major tournament is also a form of practice,” Shang Juncheng praised his senior teammate’s doubles ability highly when talking about partnering with him for next year’s Australian Open doubles, implying that he is relying on his experienced teammate while revealing the purpose behind playing doubles.

Although Shang Juncheng’s idea seems reasonable, some still worry that since he occasionally has physical issues even in singles, competing in both singles and doubles at a Grand Slam might be too demanding for his fragile body to handle.

In response, some humorously remarked that even if their doubles performance at Melbourne Park doesn’t make much impact, given the current serious concerns about their singles, just being able to stay one more day at the Australian Open through doubles is already a great comfort. “Besides, there is a decent prize money incentive, which could be a motivating factor. Who knows, maybe that motivation will turn them into dark horses! Let’s wait and see, no need to overthink for now.”(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlit River’s Starry Sky)