Tennis
Young aces shine at Australian camp
By Yu Yilei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-12 10:07
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 Joe McCarthy, a coach with Tennis West, instructs Wei Zhanlan, a member of the Mercedes-Benz "Swing for the Stars" junior tennis international training camp, at the tennis center in Perth, Australia, earlier this month.[Photo/BIG]  |
Pre-teen Wei stands out as most promising prospect after trip to Perth
Twelve-year-old Wei Zhanlan resembles a young Maria Sharapova in many ways when she plays tennis.
She hits the ball hard and deep; takes a long pause before serving and screams loudly while going for every shot. The similarities have earned her the nickname "little Sharapova" and she delights in the comparison.
"I really like it when other people compare me with Sharapova because I want to be a successful tennis player like her," she said.
Wei was one of 11 youngsters who took part in the second edition of the Mercedes-Benz "Swing for the Stars" junior tennis international training camp, part of an ambitious national youth tennis program aimed at discovering and nurturing future talent.
The participants, aged between eight and 12, were selected from 700 junior players after 14 provincial clinics and championships throughout China and represent the elite level of their age groups.
They underwent a 25-day special clinic in Perth, Western Australia, which included top-class coaching and playing against the best local talent thanks to an agreement reached between Tennis West, the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) and the event's organizer, Beijing International Group (BIG). Last year, the inaugural camp traveled to the US Tennis Academy in Eugene, Oregon, where the young players were coached by American Hall of Famer Dennis Ralston.
"I hope the kids in the camp are able to grow into potential medalists at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games or future Grand Slam champions. We are working hard toward that goal," said Sun Jinfang, China's tennis chief.
Tennis is on a high in China thanks to the stunning achievements of national women's players Li Na and Zheng Jie who made into the semifinals at the Australian Open last month. The sport has been growing fast over the past five years in the most populous nation and that has been highlighted by a steady rise up the world rankings by the likes of Li and Zheng.
The duo's exploits Down Under are expected to inspire millions of youngsters in China to follow them. For the members of the international camp, watching their compatriots' progress at Melbourne Park on TV on the other side of the country just made them feel closer to their ultimate dreams.
"They have always been the inspiration for me," Wei said.
And she has a big target in mind, one which Li and Zheng have not yet reached.
"I have a plan. I hope I can win the Orange Bowl International Championship (a high-profile junior tournament which has been won by many tennis greats such as Justine Henin and Andy Roddick), then win a Grand Slam at 19 or 20 and then become the world No 1," claimed the girl from Hefei, Anhui province.
Her goal sounds lofty but her coaches believe she has the sort of talent that made Sharapova a three-time Grand Slam winner and the No 1 player in the world.
"Wei Zanlan is an amazing talent that must be developed," said Joe McCarthy, a high-performance coach at Tennis Australia and who was voted the 2008 Australian coach of the year.
McCarthy, who has coached 10 national ranked juniors and currently mentors five students with ITF rankings, said he was impressed with the level of play of the Chinese youngsters.
"I was very impressed with all the kids from the Chinese touring team, especially Wei," he said.
Wei, second runner-up at China's national competition for Under-12 players last year, backed McCarthy's words by winning two titles at the Midland Open last month. She won the Under-14 singles title and then partnered camp member Lu Xiyue to win the doubles.
Her performances won high praise from her coach and surprised the president of the hosts, the Midland Lawn Tennis Club, David Rikson.
"Wei showed amazing determination and skill to defeat the No 1 and 2 seeds on the way to the title. She adapted very well to the grass and began to move forward and attack the short ball," McCarthy said.
"The entire team must be congratulated on an amazing tournament and it showed just how successful China tennis can be."
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"We learned just as much from you and I hope we can still teach you at this stage. But I am afraid in the future you might overtake us," the president joked.
Wei is not the only eye-catcher in the camp. Zhang Tinghui, an 11-year-old boy from Guangzhou, also grabbed much attention. The China's Under-12 national champion partnered local player Tom Millar to win the Under-16 doubles title at the Midland tournament.
"He is a very good player and carried me through the tournament," Millar said. "He is kind of my idol in this event."
Zhang is exactly the kind of talent the CTA is looking for considering the lackluster state of China's men's tennis. Chinese men are still far off world class with the country's leading player ranked outside the world's top 400.
In McCarthy's eyes, the young Chinese males have all the equipment - power, height and impressive athletic ability. They just need to know how to use it.
"Zhang is very athletic. He reminds me of a young Roger Federer when he moves on the court," said McCarthy. "One day he could break into the world top 100."
Another coach praised the Chinese players for their self-discipline.
"I like that attitude," said camp coach Strahinja Bobusic. "They are very serious about their tennis."
After spending 25 days under the scorching sun in Australia, the players returned to China on Tuesday.
Organizers hope the camp members will show marked improvement. After last year's Eugene camp, Wang Yan went on to win an international junior tournament in Boston and Li Yihong won an Asian-Pacific tournament title.
"Last year's camp proved to be very successful and we are expecting the same this year," said Li Xiaowu, BIG's chief cooperation officer.
