Lu sets sights higher after Wimbledon

“Now that I've made it into the top 50, my next goal is to make it into the world's top 20,” Lu told reporters at the second press conference in the last 24 hours upon his return from London, where the tournament was held.

Lu, who was ranked 82nd in the world, shocked the tennis world when he defeated world No. 7 Andy Roddick of the United States during a match in the fourth round of the Wimbledon men's singles on Tuesday.

Lu became the first Taiwanese player ever and the first Asian since 1995 to make the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam tournament before losing to world No. 3 Novak Djokovic.

Despite his later loss to Djokovic, international and Taiwanese media have been showering him with attention since his defeat of Roddick.

As experienced as Lu is on the tennis court, he said he was” somewhat in awe”of the media coverage. He was mobbed by journalists and fans at the airport Friday night. More than two dozen television cameras and around 100 reporters attended the Saturday press conference.

The “newest hero” of Taiwan, as a story on the official Wimbledon Web site wrote, described the win over Roddick as something that” would probably be a career-changing victory for me because now I am convinced that I can compete with the best.”

The confidence-boosting victory, which is expected to raise his world ranking from No. 82 to the top 50, became a catalyst for Lu to set his eyes on the world's top 20. It is also why he has a higher expectation for the upcoming U.S. Open, which will take place from Aug. 30-Sept. 12 in New York.

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