Juniors take front-row seats for glimpse of professional life

Even Grand Slam champion Zheng Jie is jealous of these girls.

They are young and talented, they share a bathroom with Justine Henin and they play cards with Daniela Hantuchova. They dream of winning Grand Slam titles themselves - and they have a front-row seat to learn how.

As local sports authorities have started to realize the potential of China's women's tennis players, a group of teenagers has been given an unprecedented opportunity, one which Zhang and Li Na could not have even dreamed about at their age.

The teen tennis stars are able to play in as many overseas events as they want to, giving them a glimpse of the professional tennis world at this very early stage in their careers. It is a sharp contrast to the career of Zheng, who first played in the WTA Tour when she was in her 20s.

"I am very lucky because I can see a lot of things in overseas tournaments, it really broadens my mind," said Zhou Yimiao, a 16-year-old national junior team player. "I enjoy everything that happens on the tour. I enjoy seeing my idols like Henin, the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova next door in the players' room."

Zhou, who took up tennis when she was eight and living in Wuhan, Hubei Province, has played in a total of 14 international tournaments while compiling a personal best 29-9 win-loss record on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior circuit.

Coached by China's former top male player Xia Jiaping, Zhou is No 27 in ITF's junior rankings, the highest ranked player on the national junior team.

She has already begun her transition into the adults' world, claiming the title at the Good Luck Beijing ITF Circuit, her first pro tournament title, which saw her rise out of nowhere to reach No 400 on the WTA rankings.

Though she has a long way to go before she is competitive with the rest of the pro players, Zhou has played plenty of Grand Slam events as a junior.

She reached the third rounds at both the Australian and Wimbledon Opens this year and played in the French Open in Roland Carros for the first time.

"I won't be satisfied with just playing in junior tournaments because I want to compete against stronger opponents and win bigger games," Zhou said. "My next goal is to make it into the top 200 of the WTA rankings. Then I can play in some high-level events.

"I want to play like Henin. She is so tough and hardworking and she is a very smart player. If I could play that way, I will have the chance to realize my dream."

Zhou's quickly developing game has won her high praise from her pro idols.

"The kid is playing so good that I can feel the pressure," said two-time Grand Slam doubles winner Yan Zi. "I knew nothing about the WTA tour when I was 16, but look at Zhou - she is already in it and doing great things, so I am sure they will have bigger achievements than us in the near future."

National team head coach Jiang Hongwei echoed Yan:

"Olympic gold and Grand Slam champions are just a start for Chinese tennis," he said. "You can see young athletes coming up strong and pushing our top stars really hard. It won't take too long before we become a big force on the tour like Russia."

Zhou's experience hanging around the pros has only whet her appetite for success. She has learned from the best teachers possible what it takes to be a pro.

"I am not too shy to say my goal is to win a Grand Slam event trophy. Watching Zheng and Yan Zi winning major tournaments has greatly inspired me, so I dare to think of achieving big goals and I know what I should do to get there."

(China Daily 12/19/2007 page22)