Will China find another Li Na?

BEIJING -- China's female tennis players had a lackluster performance at the recently-concluded Australian Open. Peng Shuai showed promise in the doubles competition with her partner Hsieh Su-Wei, but the pair were eliminated in the semifinals by Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic.

Peng's performance in the singles, however, was another story: she crashed out in the round of 128 to 15-year-old Ukrainian qualifier Marta Kostuk. This showing was a far cry from that of the 2014 Australian Open champion, and the most famous Chinese tennis player of all time, Li Na.

Even more noticeable than the performance gap between Peng and Li is the enthusiasm gap between the two seasoned players.

Although Peng, 32, is still one of strongest doubles players on the women's circuit and continues to show promise alongside her partner, she has not inspired anywhere near the level of enthusiasm from fans as did Li Na. Neither has she garnered the same level of international respect and attention, despite having a warm and vivacious personality.

So what is the reason for this lack of tennis starpower in China?

The answer to this question is complex, because there are factors working both for and against the proliferation of tennis talent in the country.

One of the main stumbling blocks to fostering a tennis culture in China is a serious lack of training and talent-scouting resources.

For another tennis star to emerge, his or her talents would need to be identified at a young age. Tennis is a sport that takes a very specialized kind of conditioning and endurance training that must be honed continually by promising players, starting no later than in their early teens.

Because of the unique nature of the sport, the best tennis stars absolutely must start training early. There is simply no way around this fact: In order to train early, talents must be identified early.

Despite these very real challenges, there is also some wind at the back of China's tennis efforts that should be acknowledged.