CHINA: TENNIS: Chinese players' success in Melbourne inspires young hopefuls at home
Record ID:
1533634
CHINA: TENNIS: Chinese players' success in Melbourne inspires young hopefuls at home
- Title: CHINA: TENNIS: Chinese players' success in Melbourne inspires young hopefuls at home
- Date: 31st January 2010
- Summary: SHEN LOOKING AT COMPUTER SCREEN
- Embargoed: 15th February 2010 13:52
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: Sport
- Reuters ID: LVADY8K9MGFBNQNH2EVUERQ7W58S
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Encouraged by the performance of Zheng Jie and Li Na at the Australian Open, young Chinese players are taking up tennis with an eye to the future.
China's hopes for its first finalist in a tennis Grand Slam event may have been dashed on Thursday (January 28) but the achievements of Li Na and Zheng Jie are inspiring a generation of young players in a country where the sport is still in its infancy.
Beijing Shidai TianLi Sports Company, which offers tennis lessons, has been training young Chinese players for almost seven years.
The company's first tennis class in 2003 had just three students but membership numbers have steadily climbed over the years.
Tennis coach Shen Zhe said a few hundred students took lessons in 2009, with the youngest being just four-years-old.
According to Shen, students pay a fee of 2,038 yuan (298 U.S. dollars) for ten two-hour-long sessions, a rate unaffordable to many in the city where a construction worker's averagae wages range between 1,000-2,000 yuan a month.
But the sport is enjoying a surge in popularity, particularly after the Chinese capital hosted the 2008 Olympics, Shen said.
"Chinese people have started to understand and accept tennis because the female tennis players have been making a name for themselves internationally. Tennis became the most fashionable sport with Chinese people right after the 2008 Olympic Games. 2009 saw a surging revenue from the market of tennis training," he said.
Ten-year-old Zhang Yiheng has been playing tennis for three years and has high hopes from his hobby.
"I want other people to look up to me one day. If I play well, I can make loads of money," he said.
But another youngster, Chu Tian, is not considering making tennis his career, saying that becoming a professional was too much like hard work.
"I just want to play with my family, practice swinging the racket at home to be in good health," Chu said.
Li Na and Zheng Jie blasted their way into the Australian Open semi-finals but the hopes of an all-Chinese final were dashed when they lost to Serena Williams and Justine Henin respectively.
The China Tennis Association called Zheng Jie and Li Na's progress a "great achievement" which would act as a good example to young Chinese players.
Live television coverage allowed China's millions of fans watch Li Na come from a set down to shock Venus Williams and join Zheng in the last four in Melbourne on Wednesday (January 27) morning, the first time two Chinese had gone so far at a grand slam.
Beijing resident Mr. Dou said he believed Li Na and Zheng Jie were only beginning to show their talent and that their achievements would turn tennis into a more popular sport in China.
"One single match can not fully represent their level, I think. I hope they will work harder in the future. It's very likely that they will do better," Dou said.
Zhang Xin, a university student who watched the matches live on TV, said the country's tennis stars still had some catching up to do to reach the top but added he was pleased for the success of Li Na and Zheng Jie.
"Although Chinese players have been making fast progress in the past years, their level is still below some of the best players from other countries. On the other hand, making it to the semi-finals make Chinese people very proud!" he said.
The blooming of Li Na and Zheng Jie in Melbourne was a vindication for the decision to allow the pair to leave the state sports system and manage their own careers.
The China Tennis Association's (CTA) move to give Li, Zheng and two other top players the power to choose their own coaches and keep nearly all of their prize money was opposed by some conservatives in the paternalistic system.
Both have been working with foreign coaches of their own choosing, Zheng bringing the renowned American Nick Bollettieri and Li working with Swede Thomas Hogstedt. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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