Tennis in China is enjoying a new age of prosperity on the men’s professional tour with several players rising up the ATP rankings this week. The Marina Open and the Chengdu Open are the most noteworthy events where Chinese athletes reach the final stages of the contest which may be a new dawn for the Chinese men ‘s tennis.
Currently, Zhang Zhizhen and Bu Yunchaokete are fighting in ATP Hangzhou Open where they have given themselves an opportunity to clash in the semis final which will leave at least one of the two on home soil. Zhang, the current number one ranked Chinese male player, continued to display emerging skills in the competition as he defeated the third seed in the quarter final stage. Likewise, Bu, the future of Chinese tennis, have displayed his hard hitting game and winning nerves testified by coming through over seeded opponents.
That China might produce two players who could contest an ATP semi-final bears a huge potential for its tennis programme. It also helps boost the ratings of the men’s tennis in the country where the sport, unlike the women’s version, has not been very successful and popular internationally.
However, at the ongoing Chengdu Open, another Chinese has achieved his personal best into ATP tour level semi finals to be the youngest Chinese man to achieve the feat. The 18 year old star has been in great form during the tournament and brings a level of composure and ability that has caused problems for some of the professional players.
Some of his conquests over several higher ranked players have seen him reach the semifinals rounds proving that he maybe the future star of the game. He has achieved this feat especially when you consider that many of the young Chinese talents have struggled to make the transition from the junior ranks to the pro game.
Successes of such players at two different ATP tours has created a stir in the international tennis community. It means change in the very dynamics of men’s tennis in the way China is coming up with so many talented players. The performances of Zhang, Bu, and Shang were more than personal accomplishments but indicated the results of sustaining and nurturing of Tennis in China.
The head coach of the Chinese men’s national tennis team Li Nan said a lot about his players and their performance, saying that they are now experiencing a historic period in the development of Chinese men’s tennis. For us to have several players featuring in ATP events is quite a testament for our athletes and coaches hard work. This is a clear evidence that our development programs are yielding fruits,” ‘</s’地说.It is a clear signal that the development programs that have been put in place are starting to produce positive results.
The achievement of these players could not have come at a better time given the challenges that face Chinese tennis in the recent past. The COVID-19 pandemic had significantly affected competitive and training preparations for international field, limiting the opportunities that players could gain experience. Recent performance indicates that rather than deter Chinese players, these challenges have been mastered and greatly utilized to enhance players’ mental aspect of the game.
It is expected that more new generation prodigies from China will be produced as the successes achieved at the latest wake of the Hangzhou and Chengdu successes give real life concretize of top tennis championship successes. This may also give boost to the governmental and private companies funding for men’s tennis in China.
As the tournaments go by, the tennis world will be waiting if the Chinese players will be able to win championships from their respective semifinals. The final results notwithstanding, the shows this week alone have heralded a new dawn for China men’s tennis.
These outcomes are not limited to the tournaments in question, but First, we turn to the results of the counterfactual analyses. As the Asian Games nears and the next year awaiting Olympics in Paris, the competition of more male contenders augments a stronger Chinese representation in the ‘Tennis’ events in multi-sport events. It also gives question to view China as possibly the team event competition like the Davis Cup in near future.
Now that Zhang, Bu, and Shang are to carry on with their initiatives and endeavours, they do it in the company of dreams of a nation that is looking forward to seeing male tennis players rising to the world stage. What they have done this week are likely to be regarded as a new chapter of Chinese tennis history for the men.