A year after Zhang Zhizhen made history as the first Chinese man to reach the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000, the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the 27-year-old headlines Day 2 action at the Qi Zhong Tennis Centre.
"I always feel excited because it's my hometown, so I'm always happy to be back to here to play the tournaments," said Zhang, who brings positive momentum after contesting his first ATP-level final on home soil in Hangzhou two weeks ago.
"Even last year I was even happier because last year, I just finished the Asian Games and got the gold, and then coming to here was great.
"This year also, I mean, you know, pretty okay season at the moment, and, yeah, hopefully I can have some good result here, but also I need to take care of my body."
Zhang also needs to take care of a potentially difficult opponent in Belgium's Zizou Bergs, whom he will face for the first time at this level.
They've competed twice at lower levels, with Zhang a winner in qualifying at the 2022 US Open, and Bergs progressing when they last played at the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger last year.
Zhang's warm-up for a third main-draw appearance in his home city included a pre-tournament practice session with four-time Rolex Shanghai Masters champion Novak Djokovic. It adds to the world No.41's overall positive state of mind.
"There are many uncertainties, but I think I try to be positive all the time," added Zhang, who will open the night session on Qi Zhong's Stadium Court. "And I think that's very much needed. I'm not necessarily very relaxed, but I try to be optimistic all the time."
Chinese teenager Zhou Yi is also in action at Qi Zhong on Thursday, the 19-year-old wildcard entrant meeting Japanese world No.59 Yoshihito Nishioka in the first match on the Stadium Court.
The second match on the main court will see Italy's Matteo Berrettini, the current world No.45, facing off against world No.69 Australian Chris O'Connell. It will be the first professional meeting for the players, who are aged 28 and 30 respectively.
O'Connell is one of four Australians in action on Thursday, with Rinky Hijikata opening his Shanghai campaign against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic, qualifier Li Tu faces American Marcos Giron and James Duckworth takes on Belgian David Goffin.
At age 33, Goffin, a new father, is one of the more seasoned campaigners in the 2024 edition of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. So too is the 39-year-old Stan Wawrinka.
The Swiss veteran, who boasts three Grand Slams among his 16 professional singles titles, is competing for an 11th time at this tournament, with two of those campaigns featuring quarterfinal appearances.
Wawrinka, now ranked world No.234, faces a player at a far different stage of his career when he takes on 51st-ranked Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Armed with a huge serve and an abundance of competitive spirit, the 21-year-old made a headline-grabbing to the fourth round of Wimbledon earlier this year.
Stakes are once again high as Mpetshi Perricard at over two metres tall, makes his Rolex Shanghai Masters debut and Wawrinka targets further success at Asia's biggest and most prestigious ATP event.
