The focus of the women’s tennis world is on Wuhan this week, as the final WTA 1000 event of the year arrives in a city that is fighting back impressively after becoming the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak six years ago.
Wuhan is providing a stunning stage for the top female players in tennis to shine, with the blisteringly hot temperatures a challenge that proved too much for some players, with Grand Slam champions Emma Raducanu and Jelena Ostapenko among those forced to quit their matches due to heat-related issues.
The All Court Tennis Club has spent a few days in Wuhan at the Optics Valley Tennis Center and here is our verdict on a city where the people have been incredibly welcoming from the moment we landed.
Optics Valley International Tennis Center
The venue for this week’s WTA 1000 tournament is a vast complex that requires buggies to drive players and media around to reach all the courts.
The main arena holds 15,000 fans and the impressive Court 1 is a 5,000-seater venue, with the facility also featuring a host of outside and practice courts.
Cars are available for all accredited tournament officials to drive you around the city free of charge, with the impressive organisation at the venue a credit to the Wuhan Open organising committee.
What are the players saying?
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka returned to Wuhan for the first time in eight years:
“I see a big difference, both in the city and also on site. When I was here last time, I didn’t get to play on Center Court, I played on one of the outside courts. It’s a really beautiful city and I’m glad to be here.”
French Open champion Coco Gauff opted to take a train from last week’s tournament in Beijing:
“Wuhan looks amazing. This is my second year in a row taking the train, and I really like it. I think it was cool to just look out the window and look at some of the things in China. I don’t know where we were, what cities we were passing, but it was really cool. I had the choice between a flight or train and I chose to do the train because I really enjoyed it from last year.”
Emma Raducanu, 2021 US Open champion:
“There are two really nice stadiums here. The architecture of them are really, really nice and interesting. So it’s pretty unique to be playing in such a nice arena. I’m still trying to find my way around, but Wuhan looks amazing. There’s a lavender field like right across the way from the tennis centre, which looks pretty spectacular. The area where we’re staying is very new, and the buildings are massive. The scale is huge, so it’s quite interesting to see.”
Getting to know Wuhan
Wuhan, also known as the River City (Jiang Cheng), is situated at the junction of the Hangjiang and Yangtze Rivers and currently has a population of over 10milion people, spread over an area of 8,494 square kilometres.
According to archaeological discoveries and records, people moved into the area 5,000 years ago, while the development of the city can be traced back to the City of Panlong 3,500 years ago.
The site of the ancient town is located in Huangpi County, and it was the first city of the Shang Dynasty (16th -11th Century BC) discovered in the Yangtze River basin. During the
Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770BC- 221BC), the region was ruled by the Chu State for a long time. The Chu Culture thus became the foundation of the present culture of the city.
Divided by the Yangtze River, Wuhan is known as the ‘Three Towns of Wuhan’ with Hankou and Hanyang on the west bank, and Wuchang on the east. The city owes both its sprawling geography and its name to its history – “Wu” from Wuchang and “Han” from Hankou and Hanyang.
Wuhan has a very high number of students and under-25s, due to its schools, colleges and universities. While its geographical location in the centre of China has always made it a hub for trade and travel, it has strong links to the motor industry – a history of car manufacturing in which the Dongfeng Motor Corporation has played a significant part.
Wuhan has also played a leading role in China’s sporting history and in China’s tennis boom. As well as being the birthplace of two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na, Wuhan is also where China’s newest superstar Qinwen Zheng grew up.
An annual international snooker tournament takes place close to the Optics Valley Tennis Center, while the famous Wuhan Marathon attracts thousands of runners each year. Other highlights of Wuhan’s sporting calendar include the Tour of China road cycling race and matches featuring the Wuhan Gators American football team.
There is also a Yangtze River Crossing Festival in July, when hundreds of top level swimmers dive into the mighty river and brave its strong currents to emulate Chairman Mao’s famous swim across the river’s 1800-metre span.
Photos: Wuhan Open/CVG