Britain's Andy Murray (R) is awarded as "CHINA OPEN MVP" after the his men's singles semifinal match against David Ferrer of Spain at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 8, 2016. Andy Murray won 2-0. (Photo/Xinhua)
As tennis is lobbed into mainstream popularity in China, the chief of the Women's Tennis Association envisions more sustainable growth through improvement in fan services and talent development.
With the 2016 China Open tournament concluding on Sunday after the sellout women's and men's finals, association CEO Steve Simon noted strong enthusiasm for the game also has been demonstrated by an increasing number of international events in China.
"I've been very impressed with my first official trip to China by the commitment to tennis here," Simon told China Daily. "I think there is a growing passion for the sport in this country, and to me that's very exciting. I see a very bright future."
Chinese fans were first inspired by a women's doubles gold medal won at the 2004 Athens Olympics and then Li Na's two Grand Slam titles at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open.
In the 2016 season, the country is hosting 11 tournaments of the WTA and the Association of Tennis Professionals, which is the men's tour, amassing a total of 77 events including lower-level local tournaments and a total of nearly $30 million in prize money.
The growth has coincided with the central government's call, underlined in a 2014 State Council plan, to boost sports participation and consumption, aiming to increase the total revenue of the sports industry to 5 trillion yuan by 2025.
Top tournaments like the China Open, a WTA-ATP combined event, have become hot tickets.
Top-ranked Angelique Kerber of Germany said the shift of world tennis from West to East is clear.
"You recognize that there are many more things coming here. It's definitely not bad. It's nice that here you have really great infrastructure and the interest keeps growing. This is what is really great for us to see," said Kerber, who lost to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina at the quarterfinals in Beijing.
Simon says all the signs are there for growth.
"I think Chinese tennis is still relatively new to player development. You've had a Li without the (player cultivation) program that you have in place right now. So again, as the game becomes more popular and the development continues to evolve toward more professionalism, I can guarantee you will have another Li coming through. It's not if, it's when," he said.
Dianne Hayes, vice-president of international affairs for the International Tennis Hall of Fame, agreed.
"China is poised for that growth. You have wonderful coaching, and with the opportunities that the Chinese Tennis Association and local tournaments present in terms of wild cards, it will open up so many doors for Chinese players to succeed and thrive professionally," said Hayes, who also visited the China Open.
