Tennis chief hails ‘new era’ for the sport in China as Shanghai Masters relaunches
- Tournament is one of four ATP Tour events in China this year, while there have been breakthrough wins by Chinese players Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen
- ATP chief executive Massimo Calvelli says WTA returning to China after boycott imposed over concerns for Peng Shuai ‘is the right thing for the sport’
ATP executives hailed a “new era” for Chinese tennis as they relaunched the lucrative Shanghai Masters after three consecutive years of Covid cancellations.
The flagship event of the men’s game in the Asia-Pacific region was among many international sporting fixtures stopped by Beijing’s strict antivirus measures over the past few years.
International sports bodies have sought to bring back such events since those restrictions were lifted in December.
“We are very confident this is the moment we will start a new journey … for tennis in China,” ATP CEO Massimo Calvelli said at a launch ceremony on Monday.
Elite women’s tennis is also returning to China after the WTA abandoned in March a boycott it had imposed over concerns for the safety of player Peng Shuai.
Peng, a former doubles world No 1, has not been seen outside China since 2021, when she made – and then withdrew – accusations of sexual assault against a high-ranking official.