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CHINA DAILY SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2012 olympics 3 Losses that could linger for a long time A wildly disappointing Olympics might lead to more bad years for China’s tennis EPIC TENNIS By SUN XIAOCHEN think: ‘Wow, it’s not bad; we just It’s been the most epic in London lost to a high-ranking seed’. But [email protected] battle on the London it’s the Olympics, so we wanted Olympic tennis courts it too much.” so far. A bad performance in the Zheng has made some history Top-ranked Roger Olympics can reverberate long at Wimbledon. Federer of Switzerland aft er the Games are over. She teamed with Yan Zi to win and Juan Martin del Tennis’ future in China is the doubles title in 2006 — the Potro of Argentina bat- looking awfully bleak after all nation’s fi rst major doubles title tled over four hours to 17 three members of the contin- － and, in 2008, she became the games each in the third gent were sent packing early at fi rst Chinese player to reach the set after del Potro won Wimbledon. semifi nals there. the fi rst set and Federer When Zheng Jie and Peng Li Na reached the quarterfi - the second. Shuai were knocked nals in 2008 and 2010. The number of chanc- out of the doubles Along with Li Ting and Sun es each had to put away quarterfinals on Tiantian’s doubles gold in 2004 the other needed to be Th ursday, it meant and Li’s French Open title last counted on both fi ngers nobody had sur- year, it all served to inspire and toes — ticket hold- vived past the third round in the Chinese to become more ers certainly got their either the singles or doubles involved in the game. money’s worth. tournament. The powers-that-be had In the end, Federer out- Li Na bowed out in the singles hoped success in London would lasted del Potro 3-6, 7-6 opening round, as did Zheng, spur another burst of growth. (5), 19-17 in four hours, and Peng was knocked out in the “I had hoped a good result 26 minutes. second. Li’s doubles run wasn’t this time would trigger another Federer converted only much better, as she and Zhang boom in the sport’s professional two of 13 break-point Shuai lost in the second round. development in China, as it did chances, the second coming in the next-to- China had hoped for at least the last two times,” Chinese ten- TAO XIYI / XINHUA last game. one Olympic medal to push the nis chief Sun Jinfang said before Zheng Jie (left) and Peng Shuai made it as far as the quarterfi nals of the doubles tournament before getting knocked out. Their exit was the end of China’s medal hopes at the London Olympics. A four-time Olympian, fast-growing sport another time, the Olympics. Federer is assured of at as it did by grabbing gold in 2004 Sun attended the doubles least a silver. and bronze in 2008. match, cheering Zheng and Peng scarcely a Chinese face to be seen always relates to the results at the ried it to the Olympics, where Zheng. “You feel the whole coun- On Sunday he’ll play Instead, it’s bringing home and getting worked up over con- in the media room at the All- Games,” Sun told Sohu.com on she received treatment during try’s support behind you, but also in the fi nal against the nothing but crushed dreams. troversial calls by the umpires. England Club. Friday. “Tennis in China still lags match breaks. the pressure as well. It’s been a winner of the second After losing to Russian duo Th e end result left her nearly “The tennis heat is only a behind the Western countries To prepare for the doubles, tougher fi eld than ever. You can semifi nal between No Nadia Petrova and Maria speechless. tiny thing compared with the and is third-class in the world Peng and Zheng dropped some see all the top players fighting 2-seeded Novak Djokovic Kirilenko, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4 in a “Just thanks for your support, country’s gold-winning thrill now.” singles tournaments from their for their national pride, and that of Serbia and No 3 Andy three-and-a-half-hour match nothing more,” Sun said with a at the quadrennial Olympics,” Sun said China has about schedule to spend time build- made every match harder than a Murray of Britain. that lasted two days due to a bitter smile to the media before said veteran tennis reporter Liu 1,000 registered tennis players ing chemistry before the Games. Grand Slam.” Del Potro will play for night suspension, Zheng and quickly leaving the court. Zhuang of China Central Tele- regularly training in the system, Th ey arrived at St George’s Hill Asked about the 2016 Rio the bronze. Peng just couldn’t fi nish off the “She (Sun) actually told us vision. despite an increase aft er she took tennis club near Wimbledon a Games, the 29-year-old Zheng In 2008, Federer and upset. what her ambition was, and I Although Li, Zheng and the helm in 2004. week early to help them accli- said: “I am probably not the one Swiss teammate Stan- They burst into tears in the think we indeed need (a med- Peng all left the State-run sys- There are 700,000 active mate. to talk about this (as I might have islas Wawrinka won the mixed zone and would barely al) as a boost because the sport tem to pursue their professional members involved in the sport in “Playing here, we won’t have retired then) — just ask Peng”. gold in doubles. talk to the media. remains small in China.” careers, the game’s development the US, according to the United the prize money or the ranking Peng will be 30 in four years But Federer had “We defi nitely wouldn’t feel so Although Li’s Roland Garros still relies heavily on that system States Tennis Association. points. But we want to win every and she’s the youngest top-100 been 0 for 3 in Olympic sad if it were just a doubles loss win drew an enormous TV audi- and government investment, Players have been forced to match more than when we are player in China. singles, the biggest hole at a pro tournament,” Zheng said ence, tennis remains one of Chi- which is usually linked to the dig deeper, even sacrifi ce their playing on the tour,” said Peng, “I am looking forward, but in a resume that includes aft er spending 40 minutes in the na’s lesser Olympic programs. event’s Olympic success － or health, as they fi ght to grow the the current world No 29. four years is too far,” she said. a record 17 Grand Slam players’ lounge with Peng to clear Though Chinese media lack thereof. sport in China. Th e high expectations for the “By that time I will be 30. I can’t titles. her head. packed the London Aquatics “We remain short of the The 26-year-old Peng suf- pair became something of a bur- say what I’m going to do. I’m still “If it was at the Wimbledon Center to greet new stars Sun investment we need to build fered a right knee injury dur- den, though. hoping to play then, but today ASSOCIATED PRESS Championships, we would Yang and Ye Shiwen, there was a foundations in tennis, and it ing the French Open and car- “It’s totally different,” said was tough for us.”.

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