There are some moments that compel us to take a step back from our daily routines and consider what’s truly important in our lives.

Hong kit “Jack” Wong, one of the top pro pickleball players out of Asia, experienced one of those moments on Sunday when a car he was driving flipped during a crash.

“After the MLP Nations Cup, the next day I was resting,” he recalled.  “On the way to the court to practice, I got hit by a car and the car just flipped.”

Somewhat miraculously, Wong was able to leave the flipped vehicle largely unharmed.

“The only scratch I had was from when I was crawling out from the car,” he noted.

Despite avoiding any major physical harm, Wong admits that the crash has stayed on his mind.

“The night after the accident, I kept thinking about it. It kept going through my mind. I couldn’t really sleep.”

It seems like that would be a troubling preface coming into the biggest event of the year on the PPA Tour calendar, the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, but Wong won his opening-round matches in both men’s singles and mixed doubles with Kei Sawaki on Tuesday.

With a traumatic experience in the rearview mirror, though, Wong is focused on more than just the results.

“I was really lucky; I could have died or been really seriously injured, but I’m just glad that I’m alive and really appreciate life,” he shared. “I’m trying to really just enjoy every moment on the court and just play and have fun.”

Wong will take the court later Tuesday evening in men’s doubles with Eunggwon Kim.