Zhizhen Adds Depth To China’s Emerging Young Brigade

It might be too soon to call it a rivalry. But China’s Zhizhen Zhang, who Friday appears in his first ATP World Tour quarter-final in Shenzhen, already has one eye on his countryman and fellow young talent Yibing Wu.

At 17 years old, Yibing clinched the 2017 US Open boys’ singles and doubles titles in September. A week later, he claimed Shanghai’s Challenger title. Zhizhen is fully aware of Yibing’s recent string of success, but his familiarity with his fellow Chinese hopeful goes back further than that.

The two met recently at the 2017 National Games of China, a competition held every four years in which athletes from their provincial teams meet in their respective sports for medals.

“[Yibing] is playing so well lately, so I really want to challenge him,” Zhizhen said. “I actually lost to him during the National Games [4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Aug.16], but I want to play him in an ATP-level event. I’m very motivated to do this.”

Zhizhen, 20 years old, is quick to point out that he’s friendly with Yibing. The two first met at a Davis Cup tie in Chinese Taipei in February, where they shared a room and quickly bonded over hobbies. “We shared a hotel room together; he got there first,” Zhizhen said. “I still remember when I got to the hotel room, he was watching [Taiwanese singer] Jay Chou in concert. I was listening to a lot of Chou’s music at the time, too.

“We’re both young and like similar things, such as cell phone games, so we got to know each other that way.”

While the two prepared for their respective matches, it was an experience after practice that brought the players closer.

“During that Davis Cup tie in Chinese Taipei, the younger players were asked to perform a talent show at the welcoming party. We looked into magic tricks on the internet and rehearsed a lot of those tricks over the next couple of days. I performed the magic act, while Yibing chose to sing for his performance, which really impressed the audience. To hang out and bond after practice was so much fun.”

Zhizhen and Yibing went on to win their respective Davis Cup matches against Chinese Taipei and clinch the tie 5-0. Immediately after the competition, the pair teamed up at a Futures event in China, where they lost in the first round. Zhizhen makes light of their short time as doubles partners. “Maybe that’s why he’s partnering with [No. 220-ranked] Wu Di instead of me now,” Zhizhen joked.

Both Zhizhen and Yibing were in action this week in separate events in China. On Wednesday, Zhizhen upset fourth seed Paolo Lorenzi, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), in two hours and 31 minutes at the Shenzhen Open. Despite being ranked 456 places below Lorenzi, Zhizhen managed to stay composed after losing the first set and again when staring down two crucial break points in the third. A qualifier at the event, Zhizhen is into his first ATP Tour-level quarter-final, where he’ll face Henri Laaksonen for a spot in Saturday’s semi-finals.

Yibing, who made his first ATP Tour-level appearance on Monday, lost to Thiago Monteiro in three sets in the first round of the Chengdu Open.

As an up-and-comer who hopes to one day play at Wimbledon, Zhizhen nearly chose to pursue another sport entirely.

An only child, Zhizhen was exposed to athletics at an early age. His father, Weihua, played soccer for a professional team in Shanghai, while his mother, Qin Wei, was a member of the Shanghai shooting and archery team. Zhizhen attended one of his father’s soccer matches at a young age, though he remembers little of what transpired on the field and more of how he felt in the stands.

“My memory is blurry now,” Zhizhen said. “All I remember is that we arrived at the arena at noon and I was so hungry that all I could think about the whole time was when I was going to eat.”

Zhizhen’s parents enrolled their son in tennis and swimming lessons when he was four. By the time he was six, Zhizhen already found himself at a crossroads and was forced to pick between the sports.

His choice? Tennis. The reason? “My swimming coach was too tough.”

Older and firmly set as a tennis player, Zhizhen turns to his agent, former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic, for career advice these days. Because Zhizhen spends most of his time in China, the two haven’t had a chance to meet face to face in 2017. Despite that, they keep in close contact via text messages. Zhizhen was especially happy when he learned that Ljubicic watched his match against Lorenzi.

“That made me feel so good,” Zhizhen said. “Whenever I feel confused with tennis or just with life in general, he’s willing to share his experiences and advice with me. “Whether I’m winning or losing, he’s always encouraging.”

Earlier in the year, Ljubicic also managed to put Zhizhen in touch with his favourite player, Roger Federer; the pair practised in Monte Carlo. The experience will go down as one of Zhizhen’s most memorable.

“The session lasted about an hour, and he was so relaxed throughout,” Zhizhen said. “After the practice, Roger said some nice things to me, but I don’t think he really knew who I was. Ivan was nice enough to ask Roger to take a picture with me; it’s one of the best memories I have from the last year.”