Back on court and growing in belief, Zhang Zhizhen returns to his hometown this fortnight for the Rolex Shanghai Masters, eager to rekindle the magic that made him a history-maker just two years ago.
Zhang was sidelined for six months this year with a shoulder issue, but is fit again now and ready to return to a venue steeped in personal and national significance.
Zhang’s rise hit new heights in 2023, a breakthrough year in which the Shanghai native rewrote the record books for Chinese tennis. He became the first Chinese man to reach the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid, later soaring to a then-career-high No. 52 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
His run continued on the Grand Slam stage at the US Open, where he stunned Casper Ruud to become the first man from China to topple a Top 5 opponent.
The dream summer led him to Shanghai, where the hometown hero fed off local support to surge into the fourth round, another national first at this level. He overcame Richard Gasquet, Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Brandon Nakashima before falling to eventual champion Hubert Hurkacz.
“If people are watching us do something and then trying to follow us, that’s great news for us,” Zhang told ATPTour.com earlier this season. “Most Chinese people are watching table tennis or badminton at the Olympics, not tennis. But suddenly they’re watching live on TV.
“Right away, more people are knowing us and more people are trying to play, trying to learn. That’s really good.”
Watch Zhang Defeat Nakashima To Make Shanghai History In 2023:
Zhang’s efforts have laid a powerful foundation for the next generation. In 2024, Zhang broke into the Top 50, climbing to No. 31, a new high-water mark for Chinese men’s tennis. He also reached his maiden ATP Tour final in Hangzhou and advanced to another Masters 1000 quarter-final in Rome.
Now 28, Zhang is eyeing a strong finish to 2025 after returning to Tour earlier this month in Hangzhou with a confidence-boosting win over countryman Buyunchaokete. And there’s no better place to continue that comeback than in Shanghai.
He won’t be alone at the hard-court tournament. Zhang leads a strong Chinese contingent into the season’s penultimate Masters 1000 event, where he will be joined by countrymen Shang Juncheng, Wu Yibing and Zhou Yi.
#NextGenATP Shang is also rebuilding after a six-month layoff due to a foot injury. The 20-year-old lefty made a splash last season by winning his first ATP title in Chengdu, reaching a career-high No. 47. Last year, Shang reached the second round in Shanghai.
Meanwhile, Wu continues his own resurgence. The 25-year-old, who made history at the 2023 Dallas Open as China’s first ATP Tour titlist, reached the semi-finals in Hangzhou earlier this month and captured his sixth ATP Challenger title in June. In 2024, he enjoyed a third-round run on home soil in Shanghai.
“It means everything, especially at home,” Wu said after his Hangzhou run. “It’s been a long couple of years. I’ve had to fight through so much physically. Winning three matches in a row here really meant a lot.”
Defending champion Jannik Sinner, World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and Serbian Novak Djokovic lead a stacked field in Shanghai, where the tournament runs from 1-12 October.
