“China's young tennis players needs to improve their game,” says the chief
The young tennis stars from China need to work extremely hard and improve their game, if they want to achieve the same success as the nation’s top tennis players like Zheng Jie and Li Na, a top Chinese official said on Thursday.
Sun Jinfeng, who is the tennis chief of China was of the view that the young generation of players had not shown the same motivation and urge to triumph and casts doubts on their success at the Summer Olympics to be held in 2012 in London.
"They have been provided with the world class training, practice facilities and conditions similar to the top level senior players on the tour. However, in my opinion they still need to work really hard, if they want to reach the top level of the game in
the future,” said Sun.
Sun further added, “So far I am not satisfied with their level of game as well as their performance. If not all, majority of them should have broken into the world top hundred by the end of last year. I don’t think that they will be able to grab any medals
at the upcoming Olympic Games.”
Zheng and Li both progressed into the semi-final round of the year’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open tennis tournament earlier in January. It was the very first occasion that two tennis players from China had advanced to that round of a major event.
Li Na, who is the first Chinese player to jump into the top hundred, is currently ranked number twelve by the Women Tennis Association. Zheng, on the other hand, who remained sidelined for the year as a result of her injury, is placed at number twenty three
whereas Peng Shuai is sixty one in the world by WTA.
Other than that the only two tennis players from china in the top two hundred include Han Xinyun and Zhang Shuai. Han is ranked number 145 whereas Shuai is placed at 83 in the WTA ranking’s list.
Shuai admitted the pressure of high expectations had at times affected the young contender’s results.
"We have a great urge to triumph at major events. However that wish somehow affects our game on the court,” Zhang said after her defeat at the hands of her Russian tennis opponent, Alla Kudryavtseva in the semi-final round of the Guangzhou Open tennis tournament
last week. The final match score was 6-0, 6-4.
Li Na and Peng are scheduled to participate in next month's China Open, which is going to take place in Beijing.
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