Plan to perfection: How China won their tennis

Be warned, because the Chinese don’t joke about these things.

A little over two years ago, the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) set about trying to reform tennis in an attempt to bridge the large gap between China and the rest of the world. And doubles was identified as the breakthrough point for success because, as People’s Daily Online said, the CTA realised worldwide focus was primarily on singles.

Hurriedly formed, irregular doubles pairs often delivered inconsistent results; a permanent team could gain experience before reaping rich rewards. And a good understanding could overcome the disadvantage of physique that the Chinese have vis-a-vis tennis.

So, as part of their ‘breakthrough’ programme, the CTA shortlisted two pairs, Li/Sun and Zheng Jie/Yan Zi, who would be the two Chinese teams. They started out on the ITF circuit, playing the least fashionable venues, mixing it with a bit of the top-end WTA stuff, before graduating to full-blown WTA. And no singles events, just pure doubles.

Since 2003, Li/Sun have played in 42 tournaments, which include ITF and WTA Tour events, totalling 108 matches, before the Olympics. One of those events was the WTA at Hyderabad earlier this year, where they played against Sania Mirza and Liza Huber before losing in the final.

‘‘Their win was a surprise,’’ Sania told The Indian Express of her defeat to Li and Sun. ‘‘They were quite tall for Chinese, their big serves were a distinct advantage.’’

So how good is the system? Very, says Indian coach Enrico Piperno, who went to Guangzhou in 2001-02. ‘‘The CTA’s support is major, they have a travelling manager who doubles up as a coach mentor 24/7…a big boost, apart from the fact that juniors are sent out to various countries for a full-fledged training schedule.’’

The future looks great for Li and Sun. Their WTA rankings (currently 10-15) should be boosted by their Olympic gold. Four years later, if they work harder, they may well retain it.

And, as news of their success spreads through the game back home, four years later they may be competing for headlines with China’s singles players.

Don’t bet against it.