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Watch out for China’s rising stars, says Serena
Beijing, 20 September 2005 - Serena Williams has seen the future of tennis – and it’s Chinese.
The seven-time grand slam champion reckons China’s rising band of young players are poised to be a force in the women’s game.
“Everyone’s talking about the Russians but, for me, the ones to watch out for are the Chinese – they are definitely a growing force in women’s tennis and I think they have a lot of talent,” the former world No.1 told reporters in Beijing on Tuesday.
“There are several Chinese players in the top 100 these days and I seem to have a match against one of them in every tournament I play. The Chinese girls are everywhere in the locker room and they’re improving all the time. I really think Chinese tennis has a great future.”
Williams is in Beijing to defend her China Open title this week and, after receiving an automatic first-round bye, has an immediate chance to assess the strength of mainland tennis with a second-round encounter on Wednesday against China’s Sun Tiantian.
Sun, the 2004 Olympic doubles gold medal winner with Li Ting, was a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Russia’s Tatiana Panova on Tuesday.
The Beijing-based world No.127 refused to be overawed at the prospect of facing Williams. “It’s only by playing the top players that I can improve my ranking,” said the 23-year-old. “I will just go out and do my best.”
Williams said she welcomed competition not only from China’s up-and-coming stars but also from more established players like Russian sensation Maria Sharapova and Belgian duo Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne.
“There’s a lot of competition in women’s tennis right now. Kim and Justine are playing well and the Russians players have been winning,” she said. “Seeing these other players coming up and challenging definitely inspires me and makes me want to get back to the top.”
Williams, who turns 24 on Monday, was happy to return to the Chinese capital. “It’s great to be back,” she told a press conference at the Beijing Tennis Centre. “I came here last year and just had the time of my life. I loved the tournament, I loved the city and I loved the people. It was a long way for me to travel but the people here really made me feel welcome.”
The American superstar, who has dropped to No.9 in the world rankings, will face tough competition to hang on to the crown she won at last year’s inaugural event – the field for this week’s tournament includes elder sister Venus and current world No.1 Sharapova.
Tournament director Ekkehard Rathgeber was delighted to welcome back the China Open champion. “Serena is one of the true superstars of sports - she has enormous popular appeal that transcends tennis,” said Rathgeber, who is also Chief Operating Officer of tournament co-organiser TOM Group Limited, an associate of Hutchison Whampoa.
“We all know about her ability, after all she has won seven grand slams and 26 career singles titles in total, including last year’s inaugural China Open.
“We’re delighted Serena has returned to Beijing to defend her title. She was a very popular winner last year and having such a high-profile player as our first champion was a massive boost to the tournament.”
Williams admitted she had struggled this season with form and injuries after starting 2005 in blazing fashion with victory at the Australian Open.
“I began really well in Melbourne but after that the year just fell away,” she said. “So for 2006 I just want to get back to the basics – staying fit and hitting the ball well.
“It’s not enough for me to be just competing and having fun – that doesn’t drive me. If I didn’t want to be No.1 then I wouldn’t be doing this.”
Rathgeber predicted Williams would be fired up for the China Open. “She has had a frustrating year by her own high standards. She began it so well at the Australian Open but since then has had injury problems. We hope she is back to her best and ready to entertain the fans here in Beijing.
“With the presence of Serena, Venus and Sharapova, we have the three biggest stars in women’s tennis playing at the China Open this year - it promises to be very exciting.”
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Released on behalf of TOM Group and the China Open by Two Up Front - Asia’s sports PR specialists.