Every year, the ATP Shanghai Tennis Masters is a “two-way trip” between Swiss tennis legend Federer and Chinese fans. Whether he comes to compete as a player or as a brand friend of the Shanghai Tennis Masters after retirement, Federer will always come to Shanghai in the season of fragrant osmanthus.
As Federer said, he has an indissoluble bond with China, especially Shanghai. “I have a deep bond with Shanghai, and Shanghai treats me like a brother and family. In the past 22 years, I have been to Shanghai 15 times, and everyone has always given me endless support. In this process, I have also witnessed the tremendous development of Shanghai, which is changing with each passing day. , it’s completely different from what it was 20 years ago.”
China’s men’s tennis breakthrough may be coming
In 2002, when Federer first came to Shanghai, he was still a dream-chasing boy with a ponytail. Now he is a tennis legend who has made dreams come true. In fact, while China witnessed Federer’s growth from player to legend, Federer also inspired the growth of Chinese tennis players. He said frankly that he was very happy to participate in and witness the start and development of tennis in China.
Since 2004, Chinese tennis has continued to create history. Starting from women’s tennis, Li Ting and Sun Tiantian won the women’s doubles gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. Li Na became China’s first Grand Slam champion in 2011. Zheng Qinwen became the first Asian athlete to win the Olympic women’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the same time, men’s tennis has also gradually risen in recent years. Wu Yibing and Shang Juncheng successively won ATP Tour championships, Buyun Chaoket reached the semi-finals of the China Tennis Open, and Zhang Zhizhen won the Olympic mixed doubles silver medal.
The outstanding performance of Chinese tennis players has also driven the Chinese tennis market. Federer said that the Chinese tennis audience is growing and their understanding of tennis is getting deeper and deeper. Chinese fans love this sport very much. “I have a feeling that there will be a breakthrough in men’s tennis soon. This will happen sooner or later. Because to cultivate a top player, you need a large enough group of players. We see that Chinese men’s tennis is having such a foundation, so I I’m very confident that good news will come soon.”
He emphasized that tennis has a huge market in China.
Calling attention to young players
Youth training is crucial to the rise of any sport. Federer, who left the court, also turned his attention to teenagers. “I’m committed to helping young players take the right approach and steps to success,” he said.
During this trip to Shanghai, Federer had in-depth interactions with seven young players. 16-year-old Li Jiao said at the meeting, “We came out of the mountains and dreamed of becoming professional tennis players. This journey has been very hard, and I also doubted whether I could really enter the professional arena. But after seeing At this moment, I firmly believe that I can become a professional tennis player. I want to become a great tennis player like you, go to the world and become a world champion.”
According to Southern Finance’s all-media reporters, the average age of these seven young players is less than 14 years old and they are from Yunnan Yexiang Tennis Club. Their training conditions are difficult all year round, and it is difficult for them to achieve good results in national competitions. Despite this, the young players persisted in training, hoping to one day become professional tennis players. This time, they flew 2,300 kilometers from the mountains of Yunnan to Shanghai just to meet their idol.
Federer was deeply impressed by the young players’ love and persistence in tennis. He said, “With hard work, perseverance and love, they have all the elements to become excellent tennis players. I believe they will all become excellent people, not just excellent athletes.”
Federer added, “As a tennis player, it’s great that my game can influence children in remote areas, inspire them and become their motivation.”
As a reward for the young players, Federer taught them by words and deeds on the spot. Not only does he provide advice and guidance to every young player on the sidelines, but he also goes off court to compete one-on-one with the young players, using practical actions to encourage young tennis players to be brave enough to pursue their dreams.
He told the young players that tennis has its ups and downs, it is not a one-way upward process. “Even if sometimes you feel like you have lost everything, don’t give up. If you lose this ball, win it back with the next ball. The important thing is to persevere and believe in yourself.”
Federer believes that “through Onrun high we met with Yunnan Yexiang Tennis Club in Shanghai. The young players had the opportunity to show their true strength and potential, and shined, gaining a lot of attention and care. I believe that moments like this are very important in a player’s life. “
He called on the Chinese tennis community to pay attention to more young players who have not yet had a chance to show off, and to discover more talents and opportunities for Chinese tennis.
(Source of article: 21st Century Business Herald)
Source of article: 21st Century Business Herald
Original title: Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer: Tennis has a huge market in China
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