China's rising stars serve notice on tennis world

陈小将

Zheng Qinwen in action during her first round match against New Zealand's Lulu Sun at the Wimbledon Championships, southwest London, on July 1. LI YING/XINHUA
Twenty years since its golden breakthrough at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Chinese tennis has come a long way toward reaching the sport's top echelons, with this year's Wimbledon Championships bearing witness to the rapid progress.

Highlighted by its biggest representation at a Grand Slam and a young star making it into the second week, Chinese tennis is celebrating a remarkable campaign at this year's Wimbledon, where the country's next-gen talents served notice they are a rising force.

Li Ting and Sun Tiantian, now both retired, lit the spark by winning an unexpected gold in the women's doubles at the Athens Olympics.

The nation's most famous tennis player Li Na then ignited interest in the sport in China by winning Asia's first individual Grand Slam title at the 2011 French Open, followed by another at the 2014 Australian Open.

Her heroics inspired a tennis boom that has grown exponentially over the past decade, with more players entering the sport's elite ranks, more courts and facilities being built, and a larger number of international tournaments being played in China.

At this year's Wimbledon, 11 Chinese players featured in the men's and women's main draws at the All-England Club — the most the country has had to compete at any of the four tennis majors.