Growing talent pool and high-profile competitions pave the way for tennis promotion, says Chinese tennis chief Xinhua

The rise of Chinese tennis is driven by economic growth, talent development and collaborative training, producing promising athletes and expanding the sport nationwide.

BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — Over the past two years, a new generation of Chinese tennis players have consistently performed impressively on the international stage, signaling a rapid development of the sport in the country.

Bai Xilin, vice president and general secretary of the Chinese Tennis Association, attributed this progress to China’s economic and social progress, adherence to sports development principles and steady accumulation of talent.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Bai said: “Since the reform and opening up, people have become better off and their horizons have expanded. Now more families are able and willing to support their children with tennis training. This has led to … a special approach to developing talent in tennis compared to many other sports.”

Bai, also director of the China Tennis Administration Center, explained that training tennis players in China requires contributions from individuals, society and the state, creating a joint effort that meets international standards. Over time, this approach has successfully produced a group of promising young athletes.

“The path to developing tennis talent requires not only state and federal financial support, but also the efforts of various market participants and social sectors to create a collaborative force,” Bai said.

China’s progress in tennis is further supported by a growing pool of talent and high-level competition. In 2023, the China Tennis Junior Tour hosted over 800 stops across the country, attracting nearly 7,000 participants and reflecting the growing enthusiasm for the sport.

Zheng Jie, a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion in 2006 who has since focused on promoting youth education, recalled that attendance at her “Zheng Jie Cup” a decade ago was sparse. “Now the places in the U10 and U12 categories were taken within seconds,” she said.

Wang Jun, founder of the Tennis123 tournament, echoed this sentiment. “At the end of 2015, just over 100 young players were represented at the Tennis123 finals in Beijing. Last year alone the number in the city rose to over 2,000 young players. We used to host around 400 Tennis123 events across the country each year.” By the end of 2023, that number will rise to over 4,000. From January to August this year we held more than 6,000 events.”

Looking to the future, Bai emphasized the importance of further promoting and popularizing the sport of tennis. Initiatives like the “Tennis for All Project” want to get children excited about sport. He also introduced the “Double Ten, Double Hundred” strategy, which aims to build a talent pool of 100 outstanding male and female players and closely monitor their development. The goal is to get ten players of each gender into the top 100 in the world.

High-level competition is key to nurturing talent, growing the tennis market and attracting a wider audience. China’s 2024 tennis season, which began in September, has sparked a two-month tennis frenzy and further raised the sport’s profile domestically. ■