How Chinese language tennis advanced within the wake of Li Na’s exit

BEIJING — Chinese language tennis is within the midst of what’s inarguably its best collective tennis season. 

Zheng Qinwen and Zhu Lin each notched career-best second-week Grand Slam runs (US Open quarterfinals and Australian Open fourth spherical respectively). For the primary time in additional than 15 years, Chinese language gamers have gained three titles in a single season, with Zheng Qinwen taking Palermo, Zhu Lin successful Hua Hin, and Wang Xiyu breaking by in Guangzhou. 

China additionally produced one other Grand Slam champion, with Wang Xinyu successful the French Open doubles title with Hsieh Su-Wei. 

Throughout the aisle on the ATP Tour, Chinese language males proceed to chart new territory. Shang Juncheng, 18, sat atop the junior rankings two years in the past. Simply final yr, Zhang Zhizhen turned the primary man from China to rank within the ATP’s Prime 100.

This yr, three Chinese language males competed in the primary draw at a Slam for the primary time within the Open Period, on the Australian Open. Within the spring, Wu Yibing turned China’s first ATP champion by successful Dallas. Then, this summer time, Zhang Zhizhen set the mark as the best ranked Chinese language participant, hitting a career-high at No.52 in July. 

“[Two years ago], I might say we’re extra pondering attempt to break high hundred, that is our aim, the aim you might have step-by-step,” Zhang Zhizhen mentioned on the US Open.

“However that second I do not assume I might say two years after, we had a tour-level champion, tour-level title, then two [Slam] third spherical. In that second, two years in the past in the event you inform me this, I would not consider it.”

By way of all of it, the rising range of sport types among the many participant physique has been notable. Traditionally, China’s nationwide system produced baseline gamers recognized for his or her flat, aggressive, baseline sport. However with extra publicity to the worldwide sport, the present era has eviscerated the concept of a singular, homogenous fashion.

From Zheng Qinwen’s heavy topspin to Zhu Lin’s artful angles, Chinese language gamers are breaking new floor in how they categorical themselves on the courtroom.

From Zhu Lin’s perspective, the evolution was borne of necessity. North-South tennis, which was the muse of her personal sport, can not succeed within the present period. 

“In case you play only one pace, it is actually laborious to play all these ladies due to completely different surfaces, completely different balls, completely different form of gamers,” she mentioned. 

“You must play every part. You must play spin and flat. You must know what sort of level you need to play. Do I play aggressive this level? Or do I play spin? You might have to have the ability to do every part.” 

China’s highest-ranked participant, Zheng Qinwen, embodies exactly how far Chinese language tennis has come. Zheng has all the time had an aggressive mindset, but it surely wasn’t till she grew into her physique that she was capable of bodily play the heavy baseline sport she at the moment possesses. 

“Clearly, 15 years in the past in China, the tennis was simply starting,” Zheng mentioned, “so we do not have a lot alternative to enhance our system of teaching. 

“Now after 15 years, we all know extra the world, we all know how all people is taking part in, we strive numerous completely different coaches to essentially enhance our video games. So all of us are beginning to have extra information about tennis.”

Seeing the world and bringing in skilled coaches to hone their video games is a blueprint first put into aid by Li Na. In Michael Mortensen and Carlos Rodriguez, Li introduced in European coaches to assist her develop her sport. Below their tutelage, Li’s flat sport fashion took on extra spin and angles. Her motion and physicality additionally improved underneath her German health coach, Alex Stober. The outcome was two Grand Slam titles and a career-high rating at No.2. 

WTA 50: Li Na’s legacy lives past the white strains of the tennis courtroom

“When you’re a child you do not have an excessive amount of energy, so if you wish to win a match you need to run and hit the ball again,” Zheng Qinwen mentioned. “However after I turned a young person, the coaches taught me hit extra spin on the ball as a result of that’s how champions play. So I attempted to develop extra the sport. 

“After all, you should play extra flat generally. To be an ideal tennis participant you need to have all of it, not solely spin, not solely flat, however to be full.”

Zheng Qinwen noticed her sport flourish as soon as she relocated to Barcelona and introduced on Pere Riba, who helped coach Coco Gauff to her US Open title. Earlier this yr, Wang Xiyu discovered good success together with her partnership with Nigel Sears. Wang Xinyu skilled at Novak Djokovic’s membership in Belgrade throughout Covid and labored with Thomas Hogstedt. 

“It is a good factor to have extra choices,” Wang Xinyu mentioned, referring to the event of her sport. “Earlier than, I had just one choice: energy. 

“Generally it is a studying course of. In the beginning, you need to make selections and never each time you make the fitting one. It is simply studying every time.”

The success of China’s women and men has led to collective inspiration up and down the rankings. Wang Yafan, 29,  gained 38 of her final 42 matches throughout all ranges this summer time to get again within the Prime 100. She gained the most important title of her profession, on the WTA 125 occasion in Stanford, then surprised seventh seed Caroline Garcia on the US Open. 

“Generally one participant performs good and one other thinks I can do it,” Wang Yafan mentioned. “Then two gamers play good and one other says possibly I may also. I feel when your pal wins a match you may as well get confidence in your tennis.”

Now the longer term appears to be like as shiny because it has ever been for Chinese language tennis. Each Zhang Zhizhen and Zheng Qinwen romped to a golden sweep of the Asian Video games two weeks in the past. 

“Sooner or later, Chinese language gamers will simply be higher and higher,” Zheng Qinwen mentioned. “I hope the way forward for tennis isn’t solely dominated by Europe. I hope Asia, China can even be a part of it.”