THAILAND: Thai tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan stars in a locally made action film

Record ID: 643959

  • Title: THAILAND: Thai tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan stars in a locally made action film
  • Date: 4th March 2010
  • Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (MARCH 3, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) TENNIS PLAYER PARADORN SRICHAPHAN, SAYING: "At the moment, there are many opportunities coming my way, entertainment job, my business, these are my new challenges. Tennis is something I have played for my whole life, since I was a child. I think my comeback to tennis is not my main goal. My main goal is that to come back promote tennis as a sport in Thailand and pass on my tennis to the youths who are interested to play tennis."
  • Embargoed: 19th March 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA7DUS3DN2FQQKTIX6N68RV97X1
  • Story Text: Thai tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan hasn't played a singles match on the ATP tour since 2007. But he hasn't disappeared from the scene. Srichaphan will make a debut as an actor in his first film "Bang Rachan II".
    Srichaphan, the first Asian-born player to reach the top 10, is sporting a mohawk haircut and a "super-fit" physique in the historical film. And instead of tennis racket he grips a sword.
    "My character in the movie is Nai Mun, Nai Mun is a person who has a characteristic of leadership because he has to protect and do strategic planing for the village," the 30-year-old told Reuters during his visit in the veterans hospital in Bangkok, where the opening ceremony for his film took place.
    The village of Bang Rachan is historically located north of Ayutthaya province, the old capital of Siam and the predecessor state of modern Thailand.
    Following the success of Bang Rachan movie in 2000, the sequel is still based on the legend of a village of fighters who fend off the Burmese army.
    Srichaphan compared acting to playing tennis.
    "One similar thing (between performance and tennis) is that I have to concentrate in my performance because when you do something for the first time whether it is movie or theatres and that I have never played before I think it is very challenging," he said.
    The one-time top Thai, who once ranked inside the top ten but has not touched a racket seriously since Miami in 2007 and won the last of his five titles in 2004.
    The wrist injury forced him from the game and it looks like he is getting further and further away from making a comeback.
    Paradorn made brief appearance at Thailand Open last September, teaming up for a doubles loss with former Davis Cup team-mate Danai Udomchoke.
    But it seems now days he is too busy off the court and is not pressuring himself to make a return to the tennis circuit.
    "At the moment, there are many opportunities coming my way, entertainment jobs, my business, these are my new challenges," Paradorn said.
    "Tennis is something I have played for my whole life, since I was a child. I think my comeback to tennis is not my main goal. My main goal is that to come back promote tennis as a sport in Thailand and pass on my tennis to the youths who are interested to play tennis."
    "Bang Rachan II" opens in Thailand on March 25
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register