Tennis progress serves up winning returns

Different scenario

Tournament director Michael Luevano said, "In terms of tennis, it is unprecedented that we have grown from a small event to the 1,000 level in a small period of time. (The number 1,000 refers to the number of points won by the winner of the singles events).

"I think all the elements for a successful Masters event exist here in Shanghai－an affluent and well-educated population, a vibrant commercial hub, the mixture of international expats and local fans... these make it a place fit for the world's best," he added.

However, it was a different scenario 16 years ago, when the Association of Tennis Professionals brought its year-end championships, then called the Tennis Masters Cup, which preceded the Masters, to Shanghai.

Already a world top-10 player back then, Federer strolled through the city's most-crowded streets without being recognized, a time when sports fans in China had no idea about the etiquette of watching tennis.

Liang Jinggang, who worked at the inaugural Tennis Masters Cup as a volunteer, said, "The main job for us at that time was to stop fans from flocking on to the court during rallies and to persuade them to remain seated during play."

The performances of domestic players awakened the nation's interest in the sport sooner than expected.

Li Na gave it a major boost in 2011 by winning the French Open women's singles to become the first Asian player to lift a Grand Slam trophy. Her success followed the women's doubles gold medal won by Li Ting and Sun Tiantian at the 2004 Athens Olympics and veteran Zheng Jie's run to the women's semifinals at Wimbledon in 2008.

Li's straight-sets final victory in Paris over defending champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy became the most-watched sports program in China in 2011, with an audience of 116 million.

Her groundbreaking victory triggered a national tennis boom, changing the game's global landscape.

China had only three professional tournaments on the ATP and Women's Tennis Association circuits before 2010. This year, 12 tournaments, including the Shanghai Masters and the ATP-WTA combined China Open in Beijing, were scheduled.

Four years after Li retired in September 2014 due to a knee injury, the WTA remains bullish about the growth of tennis in China, highlighted by its announcement this year to move its year-ending championships to Shenzhen, Guangdong province, from Singapore from next year.

With most tournaments on the women's circuit scheduled within a month after the US Open, some international players have complained about the congested China-heavy Asian leg on the calendar, citing long travel times and fatigue.