This article first appeared in the Mar/Apr 2010 issue of World Gaming magazine.
Until now tennis has never been one of China’s biggest or most successful sports. All that has just changed as two Chinese women announced the country’s arrival on the world stage.
The blinding heat of Melbourne in summer may be tennis’ toughest test. It’s the first Grand Slam of the year and all the best players in the world converge on Australia to claim the coveted title. For the seasoned pros of the tour, their goal is to win another Grand Slam which is how they will be judged in years to come. For the lesser known players every Grand Slam offers them their breakthrough opportunity. A huge pay day and a move up the rankings is the obvious reward. Even more importantly a good showing at a big tournament like this announces a player’s arrival to the world. It all sounds so easy, but grabbing this opportunity is one of the hardest obstacles in world sport.
This Australian Open will be remembered as the championship that two young Chinese girls showed there was a new sleeping giant in world tennis. Li Na and Zheng Jie were drawn on different sides of the draw. Anything after the second round would always be a bonus. Both girls made history when they cruised into the fourth round which was the first time two Chinese players had ever made it into the fourth round of a Grand Slam.
Li Na in action
Not only did they win their fourth round clashes they also won their quarter finals rewriting the record books again. Serena Williams and Justine Henin stood in front of the girls and unfortunately a Grand Slam Final was not in either of their destinies, this time.
It is a remarkable step for a country that has traditionally only ever performed well in the doubles – Zheng and Yan Zi teamed up to win the 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns. In fact, 2006 was a breakthrough year for China with Li becoming the first Chinese player to reach the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon. Li and Zheng also competed in the first all-Chinese WTA Tour final in Portugal.
It has been a gradual build up over the last few years as Zheng shocked the tennis world when she reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon and achieved a career-high ranking of number 15 – the highest ever by a Chinese player. But Li matched Zheng by finishing the year ranked number 15 in the world after a form revival that saw her reach the quarter-finals of the US Open. Zheng was happy to tell the press how hard a struggle it has been for the girls after one of her bitterly fought matches at the Australian Open.
Zheng Jie crunches another forehand winner
“We have been working so hard and we never give up on any match. We just play our best and try to hold on to every match. Step by step is the philosophy we have both used.”
The future looks bright for women’s tennis in China as both girls have quite a few more years left to play on the circuit. The biggest story to come out of all this is the impact that these results will have on the game of tennis in China. Young Chinese will be taking up the game in record numbers as they have been shown that they can compete at the very top level against the best in the world.
The next few years look very bright for the Chinese girls with the prospect of their two stars being ranked in the top ten in the world. There are a further four Chinese women – all aged 21 or less – ranked inside the top 225. It’s been a great start to 2010 and hopefully the Year of the Tiger will be a good one for our girls.
