China’s Tennis-Season
Few decades ago it would have been hard to imagine that in the annual global Tennis calendar, the China Tennis-Season would follow the last Grand-Slam of the year, the US-Open. This is exactly what has happened. Three ATP events for men and four WTA evens for women in September and October this year were in China. These events attracted the best players in the world making China Tennis-season very attractive.
Two reasons contributed to the success of the China Tennis-Season. One is the booming Chinese economy and the other is their wonder kid Li Na – now a proud mother of a cute daughter. In a way what she has done to China is comparable to what Ramanathan Krishnan did to Indian Tennis in the sixties. Up to date Krishnan is the only Indian to appear in the semi-final of Wimbledon. In the same vein, Li Na is the only player from China to have won a Grand-Slam event. China has over a billion in population and an estimated 14 million play Tennis. The country has approximately thirty-thousand Tennis courts and has plans to increase the courts and players by 15% every year.
A Film on Li-Na
After Li Na’s retirement, the best women’s player from China is Zheng Saisai. She is 76 in the ranking and not that well known. Among the men, China does not have a singles player in the top 100. Their best is Zhang Ze, ranked 176. Top ten ranked players are rare from Asia and unless a player reaches such a position, their names will fade away even before the career is over. Making a top ten player seems a magic which very few countries have. China has every potential and ambition of acquiring that magic.
Li Na is often compared to USA’s Billie Jean King who changed the course of American Tennis and that of women’s in the world. Li Na is on a similar track to change Tennis in her country. A well known film maker from Hong Kong, Peter Ho Sun Chan is expected to direct a film based on her biography. Early work has started and the film is scheduled to be released in 2016. Li Na is also working on a Tennis Academy and Hotel. Remarks are that it will be like no other in the world. She has said that she is a great deal busier after her retirement than before – and this time it will be for Tennis in China.
Mega money
Shanghai was once known to be the ‘Paris of the Orient’ and it is fast regaining this status. Shanghai is able to stage an ATP masters with millions in prize money. Such is its financial muscle. The other major venues in China are Beijing, Shengzhen, Tianjin, Wuhan and Hong Kong. Being professional events it is the size of the prize money that decides the franchise to conduct an event. So it is the Chinese money-power is the other reason for the birth of the successful China Tennis-Season. Chinese American Michael Chang, former world top ten and French-Open winner has also been contributing to Chinese Tennis in recent times.
This year’s China Tennis-Season winners include Venus Williams, Garbine Muguruza, Jelena Jankovic, Agnieska Radwanska among the women. These results reshaped the line up for the WTA masters in Singapore. After the China Tennis-Season, the Williams family has two players in the top ten of the world, which is a remarkable achievement. Venus reached the tenth position with her win in Shanghai. Her younger sister Serena is world’s number one. In the men’s ATP events in China the finalists were Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and Garcia Lopez. These matches were played in front of an enthusiastic and an appreciative crowd.
Another Li Na probably will not appear that soon. Tennis is not new to China. History says that the last emperor played Tennis over a century ago. Subsequently, the colonial influence kept the game alive in China. Even in the communist era in the early 7’s, a Chinese Tennis team visited Sri Lanka and a Sri Lanka’s team went to China.
Fast track issues
Li-Na with her success provided a big boost to the Chinese Tennis. It is not easy to produce a player like Li Na. Today with every activity in the fast lane, the ball rolls faster. This means China could be struggling to keep up the momentum set by Li-Na if another successful Chinese does not appear soon.
Sportsmen go out of fame very soon. In the cricketing Sri Lanka, ask a 15 year old who Arjuna Ranatunga or Aravinda de Silva is? You will be surprised with the answers! In the same vein, another champion will bring the game fast into the main stream. Players like Li-Na are rare, Chinese know this. What they are doing is to stem the absence of a champion with events. It is a very good strategy. China has always adapted to changes well. After all ‘I-Ching’ the book of changes was written by them good many years ago.
George Paldano, former player; Accredited Coach of Germany; National, Davis-Cup,
Federation Cup and Qualified
coach–. gptennis.ceylon@gmail.com