Chinese men make a racket in 2024

The 2024 season has seen Chinese tennis emerge as a true force to be reckoned with on the international stage.

And, it's safe to say, for the first time ever, its men have contributed just as much to that world-elite status as their female compatriots.

Led by world No 45 Zhang Zhizhen, three Chinese men, including No 50 Shang Juncheng and No 65 Buyunchaokete, have ended the 2024 season ranked within the top-100, realizing Chinese fans' long-cherished dream of cheering for their own at the top of the men's game, as they have for their women's stars for decades.

In a series of "firsts" for Chinese men's tennis, between them, the trio have reached five semifinals and two finals on the highly competitive ATP Tour, with the youngest Shang, a 19-year-old sensation, winning his first and Chinese men's second tour-level singles title at the ATP250 event in Chengdu in September.

As the first Chinese to lift an ATP singles title in Dallas, Texas, in February 2023, injury-plagued talent Wu Yibing, a former world No 54 and 2017 US Open boys' champion, also capped off the 2024 season on a positive note after fighting into the third round at the ATP1000 Masters in Shanghai in October, showing some promise for a healthy return.

With three direct entries via rankings, and two wildcards, five Chinese mainland players entered the singles main draw at this year's Shanghai Masters, making it the biggest ever Chinese representation at any professional tournament on the ATP Tour.

And Zhang hopes this strength in numbers will only continue to grow, given the sport's surging popularity in the country, driven by a hugely successful year.

"If people are watching us do something and then trying to follow us, that's great news for us," Zhang told atp.com on the eve of Team China's United Cup opener against Team Brazil in Perth, Australia, last week.

"Most Chinese people are watching table tennis or badminton at the Olympics, not tennis, but suddenly they're watching (our) final live on TV," said Zhang, who won a mixed doubles silver medal at Paris 2024 with partner Wang Xinyu in August.

"Right away, more people know who we are, and more people are trying to play, trying to learn. That's really good."

Despite a month-long season break, Zhang's momentum shows no sign of slowing down, as he breezed past Brazil's Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 6-0 in just 54 minutes in a men's singles match on Friday to help China beat Brazil in a group tie at the United Cup, an 18-country mixed-team tournament.

Zhang's female counterpart Gao Xinyu got Team China off to a scintillating start by stunning Brazil's world No 17 Beatriz Haddad Maia in a three-hour and 22-minute, three-set win in the women's singles opener, which ended up being the longest women's match in tournament history.

Already a strong baseline hitter and tough defender, Zhang made the work look easy on Friday by winning 87 percent of his first-serve points against Monteiro, thanks to a solid offseason training program particularly focused on improving his serving motion.

The 28-year-old Shanghai native, the oldest among China's top-three, hailed the healthy competition with his younger compatriots as a strong motivation.

"I always see this pressure in a good way; they're pushing me," said Zhang, who started the 2024 season as China's only top-100 man.

"For sure, they are going to overtake me one day, but they're also pushing me forward. They give me a more positive way to look at these things.

"More energy is coming through. As an athlete, you want to keep the highest status for as long as you can, (whether it) be Chinese No 1, or even world No 1.

"This year, 2024, has been really good, really successful. I'm quite happy with what I'm doing, and also with my team."