Original title: Chinese tennis this season, from hot search to hot spot
Xinhua News Agency, Kunming, October 21 (Reporters Gao Meng, Le Wenwan, Xu Dongyuan) On the evening of the 20th, women’s singles player Kasatkina won the Women’s Tennis Players Association (WTA) 500 championship trophy in Ningbo, which also means that The 2024 tennis “China Season” is coming to an end.
This summer, Chinese tennis has experienced surprises one after another. At the Paris Olympic tennis venue – the clay “holy land” Roland Garros, Zheng Qinwen became the first Asian player to win the Olympic tennis women’s singles championship; “temporary partners” Wang Xinyu/Zhang Zhizhen teamed up to win the silver medal, creating China’s mixed doubles record Best result in the Olympics.
On August 3, Zheng Qinwen celebrated after winning the women’s singles championship at the Paris Olympics. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing
Beginning in September, the global tennis tour will enter “China time”. Information related to “tennis” frequently appears in hot searches, occupying the homepages of many people’s social media platforms. The Chinese audience’s enthusiasm for tennis is self-evident. For many practitioners and enthusiasts, the “seeds” planted at the Paris Olympics really sprouted during the Chinese season.
At home, the stars shine
The combination of the popularity of the Olympics and the collective breakthrough of Chinese players at home is an important reason why tennis can trigger a craze this autumn.
On the women’s side, Zheng Qinwen maintained her ranking through stable performance at the China Open and Wuhan Open and advanced to the WTA year-end finals for the first time; Wang Xinyu entered the women’s singles semi-finals of the WTA1000 event for the first time at the Wuhan Open… On the men’s side, 19-year-old Shang Juncheng broke into the men’s singles Ranked in the top 50 in the world, he has become the only athlete born after “05” in this ranking range. With Zhang Zhizhen maintaining the top 50 ranking, for the first time, there are two Chinese Tennis Association players among the top 50 players in men’s singles.
On September 27, Zhang Zhizhen returned the ball in the first round of the men’s singles match at the 2024 China Tennis Open. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Long
The new generation of high-spirited players work hard individually and forge ahead together.
Wang Xinyu, who played the Wuhan Open “China Derby” with Zheng Qinwen, said: “In fact, in the past two years (we) have seen not only girls but also boys, everyone is playing better and better together. I think it is particularly good for tennis. Because of the Olympic Games , and I feel that more people are starting to pay attention to tennis.”
On October 12, Zheng Qinwen (left) shook hands with Wang Xinyu after the game. On the same day, in the women’s singles semifinals of the Wuhan Tennis Open, Zheng Qinwen defeated Wang Xinyu and advanced to the finals. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiao Yijiu
Faced with the frequent surprises in the Chinese men’s tennis, the “first brother” Zhang Zhizhen said: “I hope to maintain my tennis career, while raising the height, and then let young players chase me and let them surpass me. This is The best thing.”
Not only Chinese players, but also many top international players have also found a “home-field feeling” in this Chinese season and contributed many wonderful games.
During this period, the most unforgettable men’s match was the men’s singles final of the China Open. World No. 1 Sinner meets World No. 2 Alcaraz. Although the tournament level is Men’s Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP) 500, they are regarded as the two most representative players after the end of the “Big Three” era. Their close rivalry and completely different playing styles made the 201-minute match The duel presented a Grand Slam-level excitement.
After the game, Alcaraz, who won the championship, said: “Thank you China, you organized a great event. I like Beijing and the fans here, and I look forward to coming to Beijing to compete next time.”
Zheng Qinwen met his old rival Sabalenka again at the Wuhan Open. Although it is still a pity to lose, as the technical and tactical level of the two people continues to improve, the enjoyment of this game is much higher than the previous duel between the two.
Although she is often regarded as the number one rival of “China’s No. 1 Sister”, Sabalenka still feels the enthusiasm, respect and love of Chinese fans. “I like playing here very much. The audience here loves tennis very much, and I have received many lovely gifts.” She said, “Although it is the end of the season and everyone is very tired, everyone is willing to play because of such a beautiful atmosphere. Coming to China to play. China means a lot to me. Thank you for your support.”
On October 13, Sabalenka celebrated after winning. On the same day, in the women’s singles final of the Wuhan Tennis Open, Sabalenka defeated Zheng Qinwen and won the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiao Yijiu
The stadium is crowded with people
The game is the home court of the players and the spectators. In this Chinese season, the surging crowds at major venues are an intuitive reflection of the popularity of tennis.
This year, the number of spectators and ticket sales at the China Open, Shanghai Masters, and Wuhan Open have all reached record highs.
Ms. Zhang’s family, who lives near the National Tennis Center, are tennis enthusiasts and have been loyal spectators of the China Open for many years. Appearing on the side of the diamond court as scheduled this year, she lamented: “This year is so different. It feels like there are so many people. After the Paris Olympics, everyone is much more interested in tennis.”
According to official data disclosed by the organizing committee: this year’s China Open has reached a record high in live viewing, with about 300,000 spectators throughout the season, a 50% increase from last year; total ticket revenue exceeded 80 million yuan, a record high for China Open tickets. Sales reached a record high; comprehensive consumption exceeded 25 million yuan, an increase of 40% over last year.
The popularity also spreads online. Baidu Information Index shows that the search volume for the keyword “China Net” increased by 1944% year-on-year. The “2024 China Open Tennis Open Viewing Hotspots Report” released on Weibo on October 10 showed that during the event, the number of posts related to the China Open reached 2.87 million, the number of interactions on the entire network exceeded 10 million, and the number of reads on related topics It reached 4.68 billion.
On October 1, at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, tourists watched the live broadcast of the China Tennis Open on recliners. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chenlin
Data released by the Wuhan Open Organizing Committee shows that this year’s Wuhan Open ticket sales and cumulative sales hit record highs. Tickets for key events were sold out in advance, with cumulative ticket sales of more than 25 million yuan, an increase of 4.88 times compared with the same period in 2019; cumulative ticket sales increased by 4.88 times from the same period in 2019. The audience exceeded 180,000, an increase of more than 80% compared with the same period in 2019.
Although the two-week Shanghai Masters was affected by rainy weather, there were still more than 220,000 live audiences throughout the entire event, and box office revenue set a new record. Ma Min, Assistant Director of the Licensed Products Department of Shanghai Jiushi Sports Event Management Co., Ltd., spent a very busy half a month. According to him, by the halfway point (seven days) of the tournament, the average daily revenue from Masters licensed merchandise has reached one million, and the cumulative revenue has exceeded last year’s total.
In terms of traffic and box office revenue, in addition to the significant increase in numbers, the changes in the personnel composition are also very significant. Official statistics on October 5 showed that at the China Open, about 140,000 foreign fans and more than 13,000 overseas spectators came to Beijing to watch the game. Among the spectators of the Shanghai Masters, 70% are from other places, and the number of overseas spectators reaches about 7%.
Simeone from Italy and Armando from Spain appeared together at the China Open. They traveled to China due to the 144-hour transit visa-free policy and included watching tennis matches on their agenda.
Ms. Li, who works in Beijing, appeared at the Wuhan Open. In October, she followed tennis all the way from Beijing to Wuhan. “I feel that this year’s Chinese season has changed a lot. On the one hand, there are a lot more people watching the game. In the past, my biggest feeling was that many people were thinking about giving away tickets, but now many people will go to grab tickets, and they will not be able to buy them if they are later. Here we are. Secondly, there are many more young audiences.”
Crowds bring consumption, and for the venue where the event is held, “Sports+” produces a “chain reaction.”
Yang Yibin, chairman of Shanghai Jiushi Sports Industry Development (Group) Co., Ltd., said that driven by the Masters, from September 30 to October 7, many hotels near Qizhong Tennis Center in Maqiao Town saw a peak of tourists. A total of more than 13,000 people have been received, and the total turnover exceeded 6 million yuan.
On October 8, during the Shanghai Masters, Alcaraz trained on the court. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Bai Xuefei
“Through the collaboration of commercial, sports, cultural and tourism exhibitions to promote consumption and stimulate regional economic development, large-scale top international sports events are the best platform. Taking the opportunity of watching the games, many people visited various attractions in Shanghai or participated in Other cultural and tourism activities,” Yang Yibin said.
Li Qidi, dean of the School of Physical Education and Health Sciences at Zhejiang Normal University, has similar feelings. He believes that taking high-quality events as the core and vigorously promoting the co-prosperity, symbiosis and mutual empowerment of urban culture, tourism and other industries and sports will provide strong impetus for the high-quality development of Hangzhou’s economy and bring broad development space and unlimited possibilities. .
The continued popularity of the Chinese season is also precisely related to the new gameplay of event operations. Event organizers everywhere are trying their best to explore the connections between sports events and local culture, tourism and life.
In Beijing, Alcaraz and Gauff visited the Forbidden City together and won the championship; in Shanghai, Musetti and Fritz appeared at the Lujiazui Greenbelt, and Dimitrov and Rude visited the “Dunhuang Exhibition”… The traffic and attention brought by top players have undoubtedly become a golden promoter of city tourism promotion.
The ingenious cross-border creativity also made the Chinese season “out of the circle” on a large scale. At the China Open, you can see Ma Long and Zhang Yufei competing against each other; while at the Shanghai Masters, there was a magical scene of Federer, Eason Chan, Fan Zhendong, and Zhang Zhizhen competing on the same court.
On October 11, Federer (third from left), singer Eason Chan (second from left), Olympic table tennis champion Wang Liqin (third from right), table tennis player Fan Zhendong (second from right) and tennis player Zhang Zhizhen were at the event. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Bai Xuefei
When talking about the recent tennis craze, Professor Wang Xueli, a sports industry research expert at Tsinghua University, said: “What is the essence of pursuing a certain sport? I think the core is cultural identity. In fact, it is some of the characteristics and characteristics conveyed by this sport. Value-oriented.”
The sunny and tenacious spiritual character displayed by China’s new generation of tennis players on the court, the efficient and mature operation methods of professional tennis events that focus on localization and locality, the cultural atmosphere and unique experiences formed among tennis spectator groups… maybe This is why crowds of people flock to tennis courts.
Stadium, enthusiasm surges
The changes don’t stop at the playing field. People’s enthusiasm for tennis also extends from the stadium and screen to the tennis courts at their doorsteps.
The reporter met Li Li, a senior tennis fan who came to Shanghai from Qingdao to watch the game in the auditorium of the Masters. She has been watching tennis matches since middle school and has recently tried playing tennis. “It’s obvious that since Zheng Qinwen won the Olympics, it’s been difficult to get appointments at the courts in Qingdao, and it feels like the number of courts has been increasing recently.”
Tang Xinglei from Yunnan also has similar feelings. As a coach at a tennis club in Xishan District, Kunming City, Tang Xinglei’s recent evening classes have been booked almost every day. “Many people come to take trial lessons, and they all come because of the recent tennis craze. There are a lot more adults and teenagers learning to play.”
On October 16, several enthusiasts were playing tennis at the tennis court of Huilongguan Sports and Culture Park in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ju Huanzong
The latest data from Tmall’s official flagship store shows that an entry-level men’s tennis shoe has been purchased by more than 100 people within 24 hours from 0:00 on October 20 to 0:00 on October 21, with a total of more than 20,000 additional purchases. Vipshop data shows that since July this year, the sales of tennis skirts on the platform have increased by 91% year-on-year, and the buyers are mainly those born in 1995 and 2000. Tmall’s “Double Eleven” tennis racket pre-sale list shows that the average price of the top 12 tennis rackets is more than 1,500 yuan, and most of them are the same models as stars or suitable for advanced enthusiasts. At the same time, domestic sports brands such as Anta, Fila, and Xtep have also stated that they will actively develop tennis-related businesses.
The popularity of tennis events has also driven the development of the tennis industry. Both manufacturing and service industries are looking for development opportunities driven by the national enthusiasm for tennis.
Wang Shirley said: “Everyone’s favorite top athletes are valuable to the promotion of the entire project around the world. The rise of this group of Chinese athletes has actually given everyone strong positive feedback, whether it is the competition performance industry or the education and training industry ”
The tennis craze that has continued from the Olympics not only allows more people to try tennis, but also gives hope to many young players who are working hard on their career path.
Jincheng, a young player who studied in a junior high school in Xicheng District, Beijing, served as a caddy at the China Open last year. This year, he participated in a youth city invitational tournament during the China Open and won the U14 championship. As young players who balance study and training, Jincheng and his mother have noticed recent changes in the tennis education and training market: “In the past year, there have been more foreign teachers in Beijing, the choices have obviously increased, and the environment has obviously improved. It feels like overnight Suddenly there are many new kids learning football.”
During the Chinese season, 16-year-old Wang Zicong participated in an International Tennis Federation (ITF) competition in the Dominican Republic accompanied by his father. His father said: “Now that players like Zheng Qinwen, Shang Juncheng, and Zhang Zhizhen have come up, it is equivalent to the ‘ceiling’ for Chinese players opening up. Their emergence has really opened up unlimited hope for Chinese young tennis players.”
This season, the sudden increase in enthusiasm has brought popularity to the sport of tennis. More and more ordinary people are going to tennis courts, which has broadened public participation horizontally. At the same time, inspired by the continued breakthroughs of iconic athletes and driven by market enthusiasm, more and more young players are moving more firmly towards the career path.
