Was Taiwanese-American singer Will Pan being modest when he said Mandopop star Jay Chou could be his tennis coach?
Pan, 45, said on social media on Jan 17 that he has emerged as the singles champion at the 1st Annual Taipei Tennis Cup. This was likely a private tournament organised by Pan and his friends on Jan 16.
The singer, who is also known as Wilber Pan, posted on Instagram a photo of himself holding aloft the trophy on a tennis court and a selfie capturing a close-up of the trophy.
“Winning the Taipei Tennis Cup singles title. Lucky me,” he wrote.
A fan quipped under Pan’s post that he could coach Chou now, as Pan replied: “He could be my coach.”
Another joked that Pan should teach Chou how to play tennis, to which Pan responded: “He’d be better suited to teach me.”
Netizens were referring to Chou’s swift first-round defeat at the Australian Open One Point Slam in Melbourne on Jan 14. At the famed Rod Laver Arena, Chou’s opponent, 24-year-old Australian Petar Jovic, served an ace.
On Jan 18, the day Chou turned 47, the Australian Open wished him happy birthday in a social media post that included the clip.
Pan’s celebrity pals also left comments under his Instagram post.
“You’re that good,” Taiwanese singer Cyndi Wang wrote, while actor Hank Wu posted: “When is it your turn to go to the Australian Open?”
In recent years, Pan has not only been busy with concert tours and TV appearances, but has also frequently uploaded his fitness and sports routines on social media.
The Wu Ha (2004) singer’s weight has been a frequent topic of discussion. The 1.74m-tall artiste even disclosed on social media in July 2022 that his weight had reached an all-time high of 93kg in May that year.
Pan picked up tennis in February 2025. He said on social media then that he aspired to be one of the top three tennis players in the entertainment industry and to slim down by 10kg in a month.
He said in a live stream a month later that he had lost 7kg in weight. His tips included playing tennis four days a week, drinking 2.2 litres of water daily and eating as much vegetables as he wanted. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
