Zheng enjoys an ace season

Olympic champion leads China's tennis revival in a remarkable year

Underlined by historic individual performances and surging public interest in the sport, Chinese tennis has celebrated a remarkable year in 2024 with unprecedented success, on and off the court.

Leading the highlights, and arguably all other sporting feats in 2024, was Zheng Qinwen's history-making Paris 2024 campaign, as she defied long odds to deliver Asia's first tennis singles Olympic gold medal, and the second overall, to inspire a nationwide craze for a racket sport that has long been overshadowed by table tennis and badminton in China.

Zheng's Paris heroics, played out on the red clay of Roland Garros in August, built on tennis legend Li Na's trailblazing first major win in 2011 — also celebrated at the iconic French Open venue — convincing fans, retired players and pundits alike that the sport's future is thriving and in good hands 10 years after Li's retirement.