Wimbledon Boss: China has just as much as any country to win a Grand Slam
China might not have to wait long for a Grand Slam drought, according to Wimbledon bosses Michael Gradon and Dan Bloxham.
"China has just as much right as any country to win a Grand Slam," All England Club head coach Bloxham said. "If the quality of coaching when they're young is good, then by the time they reach 20 there should be several Chinese players in the top echelons. There's no real trick; it's just having a good quantity of players in a great environment, and that equals more chance of winning Grand Slams."
Gradon too had some things to say about the same. "In places like China, there isn't the same history of tennis (as the UK). So we need to explain what Wimbledon means, and what differentiates Wimbledon from every other tournament in the world," Gradon assessed. "It's great for us that the Chinese Tennis Association is showing a real enthusiasm for tennis and Wimbledon. There wouldn't be much point in us trying to promote the grass-court game and Wimbledon to a country that had no interest in tennis or in developing juniors."
Bloxham believes that the high level of professionalism in women's tennis as compared to the men's game makes it an attractive proposition. "With tennis, men and women play on an equal platform, so young athletes in China are seeing females playing on the same platform as Roger Federer," said Bloxham. "It's very unusual to have a female sport held at such a high level."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2Ga3Lhn
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