Tennis is booming in China, but not without controversy

China’s thriving tennis scene has been a huge boon to the country’s national pride.

About 20 million people play the sport, making China second only to the United States on the global tennis participation rankings.

An Olympic gold medal for one of the sport’s rising stars, Zheng Qinwen – nicknamed “Queen Wen” – saw a surge in patriotism.

But the sport has experienced some turmoil.

The women’s tournaments only returned to China last year after a four-year boycott due to safety concerns for former player Peng Shuai.

Peng temporarily disappeared from the public eye after she posted on social media about her relationship with a senior government official and then denied ever claiming she had been sexually abused.

And in recent weeks, some players have apologized for racist comments or gestures that offended Chinese fans.

In a country that has traditionally favored the table version of the sport, tennis generates hundreds of millions of dollars and is becoming a source of soft diplomacy.

Sorry for racist gestures

In recent weeks’ Asian competition, some players have made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Former world number two Paula Badosa was heavily criticized after posing for a photo with chopsticks in the corner of her eye.

She denied the gesture was an imitation of Asian people, saying: “I was playing around with my face and my wrinkles.”

“I love Asia… and have lots of Asian friends. They are the nicest.”

She later apologized: “I’m really sorry, I didn’t realize that was offensive.” [or] towards racism. My mistake. I take full responsibility.”

The Wuhan Open, held this year for the first time since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was the scene of another controversy.

Polish player Magda Linette also apologized after posting a picture of her train to Wuhan with the caption in Polish: “The virus database has been updated.”

Global tensions

Hunter Fujak, a sports management lecturer at Deakin University, said although he did not know the details of these cases, the public was often quick to condemn athletes for their mistakes, which were often due to naivety rather than malicious intent.

He said athletes are often expected to be role models, but many are young and have forgone education to play sports.

“Athletes are people, and people make mistakes. It’s just that the magnifying glass is on them,” he said.

Haozhou Pu, an associate professor of sports management at the University of Dayton, agreed that the recent pitfalls for sports in China may be related to increasingly complicated geopolitics, particularly when tennis is “intertwined with sporting nationalism.”

“I think players need to become more aware of the political risks and organizers of international competitions should develop more proactive strategies in response,” he said.

China’s golden “Queen Wen”

The recent incidents mar an otherwise stellar year for Chinese tennis.

Much of the hype revolves around the charismatic Zheng Qinwen, who won the gold medal for China at the recent Olympics.

It was a victory she described as more meaningful than winning a Grand Slam, even though the Slams often carried greater prestige and multimillion-dollar paychecks.

When she broke into the top 10 earlier this year and finished second at the Australian Open, many drew parallels between her and two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na.

“Li Na and Zheng Qinwen have played a crucial role in reshaping the image of female athletes in China,” said Jingying Cai, a doctoral student at Western Sydney University focusing on Chinese and Australian female tennis players.

Zheng Qinwen was ranked 15th on Forbes’ 2023 list of highest-paid female athletes, with around $8.3 million in endorsements from companies such as Nike, Rolex, Alipay, McDonald’s, Yili and Gatorade, among others.

Dr. Dayton University’s Pu said both Zheng and Li were very marketable and exhibited “grim but personable” demeanors.

Tennis rebels and revolution

Dr. Pu pointed out that Li Na was seen as something of a rebel for “flying solo” – a break from a government sponsorship model that requires players to hand over the majority of their earnings.

“The ‘Flying Solo’ model, largely driven by ‘free market’ ideas, has transformed the tennis development system in China and given players more autonomy over their own careers,” he said.

“Zheng took a completely different path to success compared to Li Na. She was not part of the state system, nor did she ever try to challenge or break away from the system like Li Na did.”

He said Zheng’s family had been the main supporter of her tennis career for many years.

In an interview with The New York Times last year, Zheng revealed the impact of being a sports prodigy in China – when she was just eight, she lived in a different city from her parents so she could train.

She said she cried a lot and asked her parents not to leave every two weeks when they visited.

Ms. Cai said Zheng represents a new generation of Chinese athletes. She added that she inspired younger players and was affectionately referred to as “the new national icon” on social media.

China’s growing tennis ambitions

Thanks to Li and Zheng, much of the focus of China’s tennis rise has been on women’s soccer, but men’s soccer is also getting stronger.

In 2022, Chinese journalist Zhang Bendou expressed his disappointment:

Zhang Zhizhen became the first to reach this milestone in October 2022 and is now one of three Chinese men in the top 100. He also won an Olympic silver medal in mixed doubles with compatriot Wang Xinyu.

In an interview with state media outlet Xinhua this week, Bai Xilin, director of the Chinese Tennis Administration Center, outlined a “double 10, double 100” strategy that aims to have 10 players of each gender in the top 100.

Mr. Bai told Xinhua: “Since the reform and opening-up, people have become better off and their horizons have broadened.”

Ms. Cai pointed out that China is investing in tennis infrastructure and the Chinese tennis market has grown significantly in recent years, from $950 million in 2019 to $1.2 billion in 2023 – a figure that this is expected to increase again this year.

“This growth is largely due to continued economic development, accelerated urbanization and the rise of the middle class, which provide a solid foundation for the expansion of the tennis market,” she said.

She added that Zheng’s success not only attracted younger fans and made the sport “more popular and fashionable,” but also played a role in sports diplomacy, reflecting China’s confidence and competitiveness on a global stage in areas where the country has historically had not dominated.

Ms Cai said “love of tennis” could help unite people despite “cultural misunderstandings”.

“In my research, I found that sports diplomacy increases cultural understanding, thereby reducing racism and promoting a positive sports environment,” she said.

Dr. Pu said the “frenzy” surrounding Zheng Qinwen today reminded him of the excitement surrounding Li Na many years ago.

“It would be interesting to see if this blessing can be passed on to the lasting success of China’s elite tennis players on the court.”