▷ Reprinted from People's Daily

This year, as many as 62 international tennis tournaments have been held in China, with a large number of masters and service upgrades, which has polished the signboard for Chinese tennis. The brilliant performance of the new generation of Chinese tennis players has driven a large number of young people, especially teenagers, to participate in tennis, which is conducive to cultivating a stronger tennis culture atmosphere and expanding the domestic tennis population.

This autumn, China's tennis scene ushered in a long-awaited boom in international competitions. Since mid-September, as many as 10 tennis tournaments have been held at the professional tour level. The wonderful competition, dazzling players and enthusiastic spectators have polished the signboard for Chinese tennis.

From China's "Golden Flower" more than ten years ago to the international arena more than ten years ago, to today's domestic tennis atmosphere is getting stronger and stronger, and the tennis market is becoming more and more mature, after years of exploration, Chinese tennis has marked its footprints in one event after another.

When Tian Fangran, a 20-year-old girl from Beijing, returned to the 2023 China Open as a player, she said: "Walking in the players' area is like a dream. "Nine years ago, Tian Fangran was a Chinese tennis caddy. From squatting on the sidelines to picking up the ball to picking up a racket and walking on the court, tennis has gradually become the focus of her life. In 2022, Tian Fangran won the women's singles championship in the United States Collegiate Tennis League Finals. This time, China Net specially issued her a women's singles wild card. "Coming back to play is like coming home." Returning to the once familiar place, Tian Fangran was even more pleased with the changes in the China Net.

According to the statistics of the Chinese Tennis Association, there are 62 international tennis tournaments held in China this year, covering 26 cities. These tournaments have "old faces" and "new members", and the rich forms of the tournaments are refreshing: the Zhuhai Tennis Championship invites players to enter the Zhuhai Space Center and Chimelong Ocean Kingdom; The Chengdu Open tennis tournament continued the signature itinerary of visiting the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base; The welcome dinner of the Ningbo Open tennis tournament was held for the first time with the theme of Mid-Autumn Festival, and the players appeared in Hanfu......

Zhuhai Tennis Championship - Players visit Zhuhai Space Center

With the competition as the medium, it outlines a dazzling city business card. Bulgaria's Dimitrov participated in three consecutive tournaments and posted a series of photos and videos on his personal social media account, showing China's food, beauty, traditional culture and enthusiastic support from fans.

The world's top players gather, and high-quality events attract high popularity. The Zhuhai Tennis Championship launched a minimum discount of 18 yuan, and the tickets for the weekend and final day were sold out more than a month in advance; On the day of the men's singles final, the attendance rate on the Diamond Court reached 99%, and the average attendance rate on the Lotus Court increased by 21% compared with 2019. The Shanghai Tennis Masters was upgraded to a 14-day "Super Masters", attracting more than 190,000 spectators......

The Zhuhai Tennis Championship was full

"As the competitions are upgraded, the fans and the events grow together." Yang Yibin, chairman of Shanghai Jiushi Sports Industry Development (Group) Co., Ltd., said, "Judging from the tennis-themed activities, interactive experience at the booth, and the number of spectators on the large screen in the outfield, the audience is paying more and more attention to the atmosphere and immersive experience of the event. Zheng Jie, vice chairman of the Chinese Tennis Association and retired player, came to watch the tournament after 7 years, she believed, "The current domestic audience understands tennis better." I used to hear cell phone ringtones from the auditorium, but this year I barely heard them. It's a small detail, but it's a big improvement. ”

"Thank you to the audience for their support, because of you, I have enough strength to win." The 22-year-old Wang Xiyu cried tears of joy after winning the Guangzhou International Women's Open, her first career WTA (International Women's Professional Tennis Federation) Tour Women's Singles title.

In the 2023 season, Chinese tennis players will bloom collectively. Wu Yixuan became the first Chinese Tennis Association player to win the ATP (International Professional Tennis Federation) singles championship. Zhu Lin, Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xiyu also won their first career Tour singles titles. In the Grand Slam tournament, Wang Xinyu won the French Open women's doubles title, and she and Zheng Qinwen, Zhu Lin and Zhang Zhizhen all set personal best records in Grand Slam singles.

Zhu Lin

With the start of the "China Season", this group of Chinese players returned to their home stadiums, and they played better and more energetically. Zhang Zhizhen is the first local player to enter the main draw by virtue of his ranking since the Shanghai Masters was held. When the host introduced him as a contestant from Shanghai, the cheers and cheers of the audience were particularly enthusiastic. "When I play in front of my hometown fathers, I feel empowered." Zhang Zhizhen made it all the way to the round of 16, setting the best result for a local player at the Shanghai Tennis Masters.

Rising women's tennis star Zheng Qinwen has made a lot of achievements in China. She won her second career women's singles title at the Zhengzhou Open, followed by a runner-up finish at the WTA Super Classic in Zhuhai and a career-high ranked 15th in the world. "I've had a lot of ups and downs this year, I've had lows and highs." Zheng Qinwen said that the goal of breaking into the top 10 in the world will motivate her to work harder.

Zheng Qinwen fought hard in the final of the 2023 WTA Super Classic in Zhuhai

Witnessing the excellent performance of Chinese players this year, Zheng Jie was very pleased, "This is a matter of course." She believes that after the exploration of generations of players, Chinese tennis is now becoming more and more professional. With the rapid development of China's economy and society, the new generation of players has grown up in a relatively professional environment since childhood, and is more well-informed, more confident, and dares to challenge the top players. ”

In Zheng Jie's view, these young players have not yet reached the limit of their abilities, "There is still a chance to climb higher mountains." ”

"I've never seen so many spectators at a domestic challenge!" Li Zhe, a 37-year-old Chinese men's tennis player, participated in multiple tournaments this season and was pleasantly surprised to find that the audience was becoming more and more professional. ”

In August, Li Zhe participated in the Hengqin International Professional Men's Tennis Challenge

Hengqin International Professional Men's Tennis Challenge viewing scene

Li Zhe has worked hard in the professional arena for nearly 20 years and is the men's singles tennis champion at the 2021 National Games. Zhang Ze, Wu Di, and Gongmaoxin, who had worked hard with Li Zhe, have all retired and transformed into coaches, and the oldest Li Zhe is still insisting, "Now that the domestic tennis environment and competition conditions are getting better and better, I still want to fight again." ”

In addition to the 10 professional tours, China has also hosted 7 ATP Challenger tournaments, 11 ITF (International Tennis Federation) men's tours and 14 ITF women's tours this year, providing Chinese players with the opportunity to earn points and improve their world rankings at home.

In the ITF Shenzhen competition, 21-year-old Bai Zhuoxuan won the championship. As a professional player from Shenzhen Hong Gemdale International Tennis Academy, she represents a new model of Chinese tennis talent training. Since 2009, when some players tried to fly solo, the excavation and cultivation of youth tennis talents no longer only rely on professional teams in various provinces and cities, and professional tennis clubs have become a powerful supplement.

Hengqin International Tennis Center in Zhuhai is actively building a professional club relying on the advantages of the venue and event resources. "If you want to develop tennis, the top priority is to expand the tennis population." Lv Pinde, executive director and general manager of Zhuhai Huafa Sports Operation Management Co., Ltd., said. Building a tennis research base, bringing tennis into the campus and community, holding nearly 50 amateur events a year, and carrying out tennis training, Huafa Sports takes the event as an opportunity to promote tennis, and the cultivated tennis population has become a loyal audience of the event, thus forming a virtuous circle.

"At a time when more and more teenagers are playing, we hope to provide a higher level of training conditions to pave the way for them to develop as professional players." Lu Pinde longed.

Hengqin International Tennis Center

According to the 2021 Global Tennis Report released by the ITF, China's tennis population has reached 19.92 million and the number of tennis courts has reached 49,767. According to the statistics of the Chinese Tennis Association, the total number of registered tennis players in the country in 2022 is 4,362, an increase of 3,437 from 2009. The rising figures show the continuous development of China's tennis industry.

After years of gestation, today's Chinese tennis market is younger, more fashionable and more social. On the one hand, this is due to the continuous strengthening of the concept of popular sports and fitness, and on the other hand, it is due to the fact that social media has boosted the trend of tennis. A large number of young people participate in tennis, who have both tennis skills and spending power.

"A lot of the events are broadcast live on online platforms, which attracts a lot of new fans." Tennis commentator Hu Litao has been commenting on tennis since 2007 and deeply feels the changes of fans, "When I explain now, I will introduce more changes in players' playing styles and techniques and tactics, unlike in the early days, when I would frequently popularize basic knowledge and viewing etiquette." ”

"Tennis changed my life." 15-year-old Wang Fa was discovered by coach Zhang Xiaohong from the mountains of Lincang, Yunnan. The Wa teenager with a basket on his back was "seen" by more people in the national junior tennis tournament, and his story inspired more children to take up the path of tennis.

In 2016, Tang Guanghua, the coach of the national tennis youth team, returned to his hometown of Wuning County, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province to promote tennis. He was accompanied by Xia Jiaping, the Asian Games tennis champion and coach of the national tennis team. They established the Tuopu Jiahua Wuning International Tennis Center in Wuning. "I hope to dig deep into the connotation and value of tennis culture, so that local people can develop sports habits by learning tennis and watching games." Tang Guanghua introduced that the students trained by the center have won 38 championships in national and provincial tennis competitions, and "tennis adds more possibilities for children".

"Tennis is a highly international, professional and personal sport." Bai Xilin, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Tennis Management Center of the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China, said that it is necessary to involve a wider range of people through high-quality brand events. The Chinese Tennis Association plans to launch two mass tennis events, the China Youth City Challenge and the Mass Tennis City Challenge, next year. "The purpose of the tournament is to cultivate talents and meet the needs of the public, and to provide a stage for those who love tennis." Bai Xilin said.

The cultivation of tennis culture requires fertile soil. "Big hands with small hands, small hands with big hands", using children's interests to drive the participation of the whole family, so as to expand the number of domestic tennis population, is regarded by industry insiders as the road to the future. The Chinese Tennis Association is promoting the "Little Tennis" project, which allows children aged 1 to 3 to participate in tennis through fun games through the development of new rackets, nets and courts. At the China Open Tennis Championships and Shanghai Tennis Masters, the "Little Tennis" booth was crowded, and the children who came to watch the game picked up their rackets and soon played a few rounds. "I hope that by promoting 'little tennis' into families, kindergartens, campuses, communities, and villages, participants can move, have fun, play, and become strong." Bai Xilin said.

Zhuhai Tennis Championship - Stars come to campus to interact with students in tennis

Since retiring, Zheng Jie has been committed to promoting youth tennis. In 2010, she founded the "Zheng Jie Cup", a youth tennis tournament. After registration opened for this year's competition, the 10-year-old and 12-year-old groups were quickly snapped up. At present, Zheng Jie has carried out campus tennis projects in 36 primary and secondary schools in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, with a total of more than 200,000 students participating, "hoping to find a new path for the integration of sports and education suitable for the growth of Chinese teenagers." ”

At the 2023 Chinese Tennis Association "Little Tennis" Project Promotion Conference held recently, Wuning County was awarded the title of "Tennis Demonstration County" by the Tennis Management Center of the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China, which made Tang Guanghua and Xia Jiaping happy in their hearts.

Like Wuning County, tennis "seeds" are blossoming and bearing fruit in many places.