Guinness record set in Beijing for most people bouncing tennis balls

Chinese tennis star Zheng Jie (second from left) and China Open organizing committee officials (in yellow) recieve the certificate for the record from a Guinness adjudicator on Sept 5, 2015. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A new Guinness World Record for the most people bouncing tennis balls on rackets was achieved in Beijing on Saturday after 767 tennis fans did so simultaneously at the National Tennis Center.

Led by China's veteran tennis star Zheng Jie, hundreds of tennis hobbyists gathered at the center, home of the annual China Open tournament, and 767 fans bounced balls on their rackets for at least 10 seconds to set the record under the supervision of a Guinness adjudicator.

The event was part of the China Open Fans Day carnival, which also featured the amateurs' doubles challenge, to welcome the upcoming China Open tournament from Sept 27 to Oct 11.

A total number of 767 tennis fans bounce tennis balls on their rackets, setting a new Guinness World Record of most people doing so, at the National Tennis Center in Beijing on Sept 5, 2015. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The previous record for the most people bouncing tennis balls was 681, set at the US Open in 2012.

As the biggest combined tournament in Asia, this year's China Open will attract all available top-46 women players and most of the top-30 men to fight for a share of more than $7.4 million in prize money at the tournament.

Ten Grand Slam singles champions and nine current or former world No 1s, including men's defending champion Novak Djokovic and female 21-time major champion Serena Williams have confirmed their entries in this year's tournament.