Rallying to New Heights: How China’s Tennis Frenzy Reached a Boiling Point
Original title: Years of accumulation usher in bloom (quote)
Tennis is hot in China (theme)
People’s Daily reporter Li Shuo
On October 27, the Guangzhou International Women’s Tennis Open came to a successful conclusion. This 20-year-old event has continued the tennis craze this year.
Breakthrough is the key word for Chinese tennis in 2024.
This year, Chinese players continued to refresh their personal best results and world rankings; they stepped onto the Olympic stage, Zheng Qinwen won the gold medal, and Zhang Zhizhen/Wang Xinyu won the silver medal, bringing huge attention to Chinese tennis; ushering in the Chinese tennis season, the box office of major events It’s a huge hit, and people are enthusiastic about watching and playing tennis.
Compared with table tennis and badminton, tennis is not a traditional advantage of Chinese sports. The high technical threshold, venue requirements and training costs once hindered the development of Chinese tennis, and also made the public feel unfamiliar and distanced from tennis. Until 2004, when Chinese players won the women’s tennis doubles championship at the Athens Olympics, China’s tennis accelerated its overtaking and embarked on a development path with Chinese characteristics.
After 20 years of accumulation, it bloomed in one day. What revelations will this autumn’s tennis craze bring?
The improvement of national strength helps tennis take off
Looking at it directly, Chinese athletes won gold and silver at the Paris Olympics, which gave Chinese tennis an opportunity to explode.
After the Paris Olympics, tennis experienced a surge in development in the country. Training institutions have received constant consultation calls, and sales of clothing and equipment have increased significantly. The arrival of the Chinese season has pushed the “tennis fever” to a climax. Fans have come to the scene to enjoy the top matches and cheer for the Chinese players.
According to Bai Xilin, director of the Tennis Management Center of the State Sports General Administration, the vigorous development of tennis in the new era is not only a microcosm of my country’s progress from a sports power to a sports power, but also an important manifestation of the improvement of my country’s national strength.
On the evening of October 13, the Wuhan Optics Valley International Tennis Center was brightly lit, and the much-anticipated women’s singles final was packed with seats. The cheers of “Come on Zheng Qinwen” were heard endlessly, and the Chinese players playing at home received enthusiastic support.
Also booming are ticket sales. According to statistics, the single-day ticket sales and cumulative sales of this Wuhan Tennis Open hit record highs; the cumulative number of visitors exceeded 180,000, an increase of more than 80% compared with the same period in 2019.
During the National Day Golden Week, the China Tennis Open and Shanghai Tennis Masters handed over even more amazing “report cards”. The total ticket revenue of China Open in 2024 will exceed 80 million yuan, an increase of 60% from last year, setting a record high in China Open ticket sales. The attendance and box office revenue of the Shanghai Tennis Masters also set a record in the history of the event, with more than 220,000 spectators attending the game.
Small tennis balls reflect the great changes in people’s lifestyles and contain great potential for market consumption. Research shows that for the sports industry to explode, it needs to cross the threshold of GDP per capita of US$8,000. With the steady improvement of the living standards of our country’s residents and the continuous improvement of their consumption power, the soil for the rapid popularity of tennis has become thicker.
“Today, the public’s interest in tennis is no longer limited to the event itself. People are paying more and more attention to the combination of lifestyle and surrounding culture. Tennis has an obvious effect of breaking the circle.” Yang Yibin, chairman of Shanghai Jiushi Sports Industry Development (Group) Co., Ltd., said with emotion .
The expansion of the number of participants and the guarantee of venue facilities are also important parts of the rapid development of Chinese tennis.
A report released by the ITF (International Tennis Federation) in 2021 shows that China’s tennis population reaches 19.92 million, ranking second in the world, accounting for 22.9% of the global tennis population. China also has the second largest number of tennis courts in the world, reaching 49,767.
In Wuning County, Jiangxi Province, which has a population of more than 300,000, more than 13,000 primary and secondary school students have received tennis training. In 2023, Wuning County was awarded the title of “National Tennis Demonstration County” by the Tennis Sports Management Center of the State Sports General Administration, and tennis became Wuning’s new business card.
Since the beginning of this year, Wuning International Tennis Center has held 27 tennis matches, including 5 international-level matches and 16 national-level matches, driving a large number of young groups, especially teenagers, to participate in tennis. Zhu Chenting, a 17-year-old player training here, is participating in the World School Games in Bahrain. She looks forward to “bringing glory to the country like Zheng Qinwen.”
“According to China’s population base and economic and social development potential, Chinese tennis still has huge room for growth.” Bai Xilin said.
Sportsmanship inspires tennis charm
The public’s enthusiasm for tennis largely stems from their love for tennis players and their praise for the athletes’ spirit.
No matter what type of competition it is, Chinese athletes’ belief in bringing glory to the country remains unchanged. They use their tenacity on the field and youthful vitality off the field to show the world the style of Chinese youth in the new era.
Zheng Qinwen won the women’s singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics for her perseverance on the field and her confidence off the field, which attracted unprecedented attention. “The honor of the country always outweighs the individual” “I am very tired, but I can still fight for my country for three more hours”… The deep patriotism shows the mission of the younger generation.
Li Xiao, a Beijing citizen, specially brought his two children to the China Open to watch Zheng Qinwen train and compete. “Her tenacious style and generous conversation are the best role models for the children.”
In the highly competitive professional tennis arena, players often play alone. But Chinese tennis players unite as one, inspire each other, and work together to create a new history of Chinese tennis.
After winning the first round of the Shanghai Tennis Masters, Wu Yibing wrote “F5” when signing the camera. He explained, “F5 on the keyboard represents refresh. I hope the Chinese Men’s Tennis Team can continue to refresh previous records.”
Previously, 19-year-old Shang Juncheng won his first tour championship at the Chengdu Tennis Open; Zhang Zhizhen entered the tour men’s singles final for the first time at the Hangzhou Tennis Open and won the runner-up; Buyunchaoket won the Hangzhou Tennis Open He broke into the semi-finals of the men’s singles tournament at the China Open and the China Open, and his world ranking rose from outside 100 to a career-high 69th.
“A person can walk fast, but a group of people can go further.” After Zhang Zhizhen reached the semi-finals of the hard court tour for the first time at the Hangzhou Tennis Open, he wrote “NO.4-TOP100” (fourth place) on the broadcast camera Top 100 in the world), congratulations to teammate Buyunchaoket who broke into the top 100 in the world for the first time, and also announced the progress and breakthroughs of the Chinese men’s tennis.
Young players compete locally to stimulate their potential and fighting spirit, while experienced veterans reproduce their confidence and confidence in a familiar environment. Zhang Shuai entered the quarterfinals of the China Open again after 6 years, and his world ranking improved by more than 300 places. “I have always believed in myself, and victory will definitely come. It is you who give me more strength.” Zhang Shuai’s speech after the game received applause from the audience.
The power of persistence is passed down from generation to generation of Chinese players. The previous generation of players represented by Wu Di, Zhang Ze, Gong Maoxin, and Li Zhe have unlocked many “firsts” for the Chinese men’s tennis. After retiring, they transformed into coaches and continued to shine for Chinese tennis.
The firepower is passed down from generation to generation, and Chinese tennis continues to move forward in the story of mentoring and mentoring.
International competitions add color to China’s image
This Chinese tennis season, many international events are held intensively in China, showing the new style of Chinese tennis to the world.
Turning the clock back to 1998, Shanghai tentatively held the first Heineken Tennis Open, the first international professional tennis event held in China. In 2009, China only had three international high-level professional events. By 2019, this number has reached 12.
According to statistics from the Chinese Tennis Association, there are 98 international tennis events held in China this year, covering 48 cities, attracting athletes, coaches and technical officials from 52 countries and regions. The data reflects the international tennis community’s high recognition of China’s ability to host tournaments and its tennis environment.
This year, four ATP (International Professional Tennis Federation) events in China were held in Chengdu, Hangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai respectively. Hangzhou hosted the international professional tennis tour for the first time.
Alison Lee, executive vice president of ATP International, said: “All Chinese players will participate in the Chinese season, which makes all ATP events held in China very valuable for sponsorship.”
Top tennis events attract the attention of global audiences. Using games as media, tennis events help build a bridge of communication and outline an open and friendly image.
In Hangzhou, Wu Yibing and Russian player Khachanov traveled to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, learned paper-cutting, drank tea, and experienced traditional Chinese culture. Zhang Zhizhen and Danish player Rune went on a night tour of the Qiantang River, watching the colorful light show and feeling the charm of modern Hangzhou.
In Beijing, American player Gauff and Spanish player Alcaraz visited the Forbidden City and happily took photos together wearing traditional Chinese costumes. “The Forbidden City is really incredible!” Gauff said with emotion. “Chinese traditional culture is very interesting. I really want to take time to learn Chinese history.”
A high-level tennis event needs the support of cultural accumulation to have lasting vitality. The city is the “home field” of the event. Rich and diverse cultural exchanges and unique historical presentations make the stadium a “show” for displaying images.
This year’s Shanghai Tennis Masters innovatively arranged for Federer to partner with singer Eason Chan to face off against Zhang Zhizhen and table tennis Olympic champion Fan Zhendong. This cross-border linkage that combines competition and fun, sports and entertainment has attracted great international attention.
High-level events cultivate high-level players and also nurture a high-quality tennis market. As more and more Chinese players step into the professional arena and make their Chinese voices heard, Chinese tennis is getting closer and closer to the “center court” of the international tennis world.
“Chinese tennis is gradually integrating Chinese sports spirit and Chinese civilization into world tennis, and will certainly contribute unique Chinese value to the development of world tennis.” Bai Xilin said.
Source: People’s Daily