|
|
Monday March 08, 2010 |
CHINESE TENNIS ASSOCIATION AND SONY ERICSSON CELEBRATE SUCCESS OF NATIONAL HEROES LI NA AND ZHENG JIE Two Chinese tennis players reach Grand Slam semifinal for first time in history Li Na becomes first Chinese player in history of tennis to be ranked inside Top 10 on Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings
The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, the Chinese Tennis Association and Sony Ericsson welcomed Li Na and Zheng Jie back to China after their historic run to the semifinals of the Australian Open by hosting a national celebration in honor of the two Chinese heroes. The celebration took place in Beijing on February 3, 2010, during which Li Na and Zheng Jie donated their tennis racquets and uniforms to the Chinese Tennis Association’s Youth Foundation to support the grassroots growth of tennis in China. “Congratulations to Li Na and Zheng Jie on their historic achievements at the Australian Open,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. “We witnessed history being made last week which will undoubtedly ignite the growth of women’s tennis even further in China, a market with infinite potential. I am thrilled that the collective efforts of the Chinese Tennis Association and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour to grow the sport in this part of the world are paying off.” Development of women’s tennis in China is one of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s core strategic priorities. In 2008, the Tour made a significant step in the expansion of the sport into the Asia-Pacific region with the opening of its corporate office in Beijing. In addition to the overall efforts to grow tennis in China, the Tour’s Beijing headquarters complemented the initiative to award the China Open one of the most prestigious tournament sanctions on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s calendar featuring all of the Tour’s top players and prize money of $4.5 million. In its inaugural year, the China Open was one of the best-attended tournaments. Designed to serve as a hub of all major marketing activities in the Asia-Pacific region, the Tour’s Beijing office successfully executed the 2009 Chinese Tennis Festival, an event that promoted women’s tennis in China in the lead-up to the Guangzhou Open and the China Open, introduced the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour to Chinese consumers, and further spread the popularity of the sport in the region. A huge hit with fans and the media, the Chinese Tennis Festival reached 200,000 people-70% of whom were under the age of 35-and established tennis as the new favorite sport with thousands of young Chinese fans.
The Chinese Tennis Association has been instrumental in the development of Li Na and Zheng Jie. The players’ unprecedented success is the culmination of tremendous efforts by the Chinese Tennis Association to grow women’s tennis in China and will undoubtedly boost the sport in the world’s most populous country. With the collective investment in tennis in China, Li Na and Zheng Jie’s success stories have laid a foundation for its future prosperity. The players’ achievements are truly remarkable considering that China started to proactively support tennis only a few years ago, mainly after the Chinese doubles team of Li Ting and Sun Tiantian captured a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Li Na and Zheng Jie’s recent success will undoubtedly propel the sport forward and produce many more stars of the future. According to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings as of Monday, February 1, 2010, Li Na is ranked World No.10, a career high, and Zheng Jie is World No.20. |
|
LadyDragon.Com |
