Zheng Jie and Li Na: China’s new Tennis Superstars
China, a country with over a billion people in it, had failed to produce even a single high quality tennis player. This fact has changed over the last few years because now they can lay claim to two very talented female tennis players; Zheng Jie and Li Na. These two are referred to as China’s ‘Golden Flowers’ and they are adored back home. Both are very down to earth and hardworking and have significantly improved their games over the last couple of years to reach new heights for Chinese players. These two women are leading a new Asian revolution in tennis which has been predominantly been dominated by European and American players. It is going to be very interesting to see how far they can go in their careers.
Even though they are similar players from the same country, Li Na has the higher world ranking then her compatriot. Na is ranked at number 9 in the world while Zheng is currently ranked at 24 in the world. Li Na turned pro in 1999 and slowly started to make a name for herself. She has been plagued by injuries throughout her career and had to miss two years in her early twenties and also a part of 2005 and 2007. These nagging injuries were a reason why she has not been able to climb higher in the world rankings. All eyes are on her to perform at the Roland Garros soon.
Zheng Jie is the other Chinese player tearing up the tennis circuit. She turned pro in 2003 and has been very impressive ever since. Her greatest performance came in 2008 at Wimbledon when she became the first Chinese player to make it to the semi final of a major grand slam tournament. This victory propelled her into the spotlight and made her a national hero in her home country. She has overcome a major ankle injury which saw pieces of her ankle bone removed and she has come back into competition with a bang. She almost did not become a tennis player but was convinced by her foreign coach at the time who told her parents that she had the potential to become a national hero. She has lived up to her coach’s prediction.
Tennis in China was not very well known. It is still not as popular as other sports, but these two ladies are turning things around and making it a viable sport for young people to pursue. With their strong performances they have made a name for themselves internationally and have elevated the stature of Chinese tennis among international tennis fans and the world. China though had to do a lot of work to get the sport introduced and promoted in the country.
It started with a new Chinese tennis director for the country; Sun Jinfang. She became the director of the Chinese Tennis Association and turned the sport around in China. She understood that there was a need for heavy investment because the country had no experience in the sport and it would take a lot of foreign help to integrate the sport into the culture of the people. Next this forward thinking lady decided that there was a need to develop scientific and technological advances to the training and development of tennis players in the country. Finally, Jinfang thought the best way for tennis to grow in the country was to develop local talent by hosting local tournaments that would bring the best players to the forefront. These initiatives have paid off in a large way for the Tennis Association and it is showing these days with the highest ranked Chinese women tennis players reaching the semi final of a major world tournament. It is a huge investment for a country which did not even consider tennis a sport worth playing due to the focus on badminton and table tennis.
Tennis will just continue to grow in China and many more very talented players will emerge from the country in the next few years. For the moment though, tennis fans in China can follow the great performances of Zheng Jie and Li Na.
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