Djokovic sees big potential for tennis in China
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 9, 2013
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Djokovic sees great potential for tennis in China. |
Top tennis player Novak Djokovic said Tuesday that China has great potential for developing tennis, speaking at a press conference at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
Before the China Open, Djokovic joined Li Na in a battle-of-the-sexes charity match in Beijing, which drew widespread attention. Djokovic said that Li helped popularize tennis in China.
"Li Na had a lot of success in women's tennis in the last few years," Djokovic said, "She won a Grand Slam, and was consistently a top five player. She has contributed to the great popularity that this sport has now in China, and of course these two big tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai."
Djokovic said he thought that China's population, the biggest in the world, has already got so much potential. "Obviously, [there are] incredible facilities here in Shanghai, Beijing, and all over China. There is so much to look forward to for many young kids," he said.
"Every year I come back to Beijing and Shanghai, I see more people at matches, improvements in the organization and generally more attention towards these tournaments and this sport in China."
Djokovic also joked that Chinese people love to watch sports with racquets, "If we are looking at the traditional sports in this country, they are mostly racquet sports; badminton, ping pong, and now tennis. It is very positive and encouraging for us tennis players and for everybody who is part of this sport."
But he also offered several suggestions for China's tennis sport development, "There has to be a certain system, a certain organization of how China intends to develop these talents, as in many other countries. Only if there is such a system can you develop a tradition or strong base for tennis in this country. "
Djokovic, who is the world number two, will begin the defense of his Shanghai title against Spaniard Marcel Granollers, in the hope of landing his fourth title of the season. Djokovic recently regained his China Open title, beating Rafael Nadal in Sunday's final.
The Shanghai Rolex Masters is being held from Oct. 6 - 13 2013 at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center, Shanghai. The tournament was voted by the players as the ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year from 2009-2012.
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