The emergence of tennis in China completely parallels the rise of the country to rapid economic growth and subsequently the birth of a large middle class, culminating in Zheng Qinwen's historic gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Besides being the victory of an individual, this success also mirrors the growing interest in this sport within China, ignited by the aspiration of this growing middle-income class.
It marked the first time in Chinese tennis history for a victory on the iconic clay courts of Roland Garros. At 21, she secured China's second-ever Olympic tennis gold and its first in singles, thus proving herself and her nation proud. The success of her victory does more than prove her own; it is a symbol of the rise in the popularity of this sport for China's middle class.
Surge in Interest in Tennis
The repercussions of Zheng's victory are already beginning to realize across China. Beijing tennis centers are now mobbed, while courts are filled with children and adults who are flocking to experience what is considered a Zheng like moment. The Beijing International Tennis Academy, for example, is getting more young players inspired by Zheng's success. Fourteen-year-old Zhang Xinghao, who began taking tennis lessons right after his return from a summer camp in the United States, is a typical example of this enthusiasm. Feeling some jet lag but with an undiminished passion for the sport, he underscores the growing appeal of tennis among youth.
Equally, interest has surged at the Open Star Tennis Club in Beijing, with player numbers more than doubling since Zheng's gold medal win. "Huge impact," described club owner Liu Yingjun on Zheng's victory, now pushing more people to take up tennis and boosting the industry as a whole.
The Middle-Class Boom and Tennis
It is framed against the background of the socioeconomic rise of China, a process that began a few decades ago. Tennis was first introduced in China in the 1860s and straightaway became an elitist sport reserved only for the richest families. During the Cultural Revolution years, tennis was even stigmatized as the ultimate symbol of bourgeoisie decadence.
However, with the phenomenal growth of China's middle class has come extensive changes in that country's social fabric, and tennis followed. Whereas in 2000 only 4% of urban households in China were ranked as middle class, official estimates of China's middle-income population have now climbed to more than 400 million, equivalent to almost 30 percent of the country's 1.4 billion people.
A Bright Future for Chinese Tennis
Success in the Olympic Games for Zheng Qinwen would set the future demand for tennis in China. The growing middle class will definitely lead to an increase in sporting and leisure activities in the near future. The more the resources and exposure, the more it becomes a matter of time we get to see more Chinese dominating in the global tennis arena.
In brief, Zheng Qinwen's gold medal is not just her victory alone but a summation of the building expectations of the middle class in China and the growing popularity of tennis in the country. With the increased interest of more people in the sport, prospects for Chinese tennis cannot be brighter.
