To receive the Vogue Business newsletter, sign up here.
Shinai Sport, China’s sports streaming channel, has just renewed the rights to broadcast this year’s Wimbledon (3-16 July) to the local market, for an undisclosed sum. It’s a sign of the powerful allure of tennis in China, which is as much a lifestyle and fashion phenomenon as a sports trend.
A number of tennis events are back in China as the country opens up post-lockdowns. The Rolex Shanghai Masters returns on 2-15 October, with the Swiss watchmaker extending its sponsorship for another decade. The ATP Tour is extending to Chengdu and Zhuhai as well as the China Open in Beijing. The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) is also returning to China with upcoming events in Guangzhou, Ningo, Nanchang and Hong Kong.
Tennis has government backing too — and this matters in China. There’s been significant investment in infrastructure, coaching and player development. The World Tennis Survey Report, published by the International Tennis Federation, shows that China accounted for 22.9 per cent of the world’s players in 2021 — that’s around 20 million people.
Investment has supported a new generation of rising stars. Wu Yibing, 23, is the highest ranked player in China’s history, now ranked at 59 in the ATP. Zheng Qinwen, 20, is currently ranked 24 by the WTA. Shang Juncheng made the second round at the Australian Open in January at the age of 17. World-class training facilities include the Tennis Academy of China, the Gemdale International Tennis Academy in Shenzhen and Potter’s Wheel in Beijing.
Fashion and luxury brands note the surge in interest, as Shanghai’s hypebeasts carry tennis rackets alongside their Chanel or Hermès bags. Figures provided by tech and social data analytics company Launchmetrics show Wimbledon earned $1.9 million MIV (media impact value) for longstanding partner Ralph Lauren in 2022. Overall, tennis generated $430.3 million in MIV last year in relation to sportswear brands.
The rise of ‘tenniscore’
Kim Leitzes, managing director for APAC at Launchmetrics, notes a “remarkable” 204 per cent increase in social media traffic related to tennis wear over the past year. In the 12 months to the end of May, total MIV in Chinese socials generated $14.5 million. Top names Ralph Lauren and Nike both earned $1.5 million. Other notable entries include Fila ($783,000) and Lacoste ($361,000). Chinese names like sports equipment brand Anta secured $312,000 in MIV, Erke $172,000 and Li-Ning $117,000.
While big global brands like Nike, Adidas, and Lacoste have tended to dominate the tennis wear market in China, there is “growing support and recognition for homegrown Chinese brands that cater specifically to the tastes and preferences of the local consumer base”, says Leitzes. Chinese brands Moonball and Particle are among those enthusiastically tapping the trend. Korean fashion brand Hazzys created a tennis collection under its new sporting concept Hazzys Royal Club, which opened Shanghai Fashion Week in March.
On social, searches on lifestyle app Xiaohongshu show that #tenniscore has 462,000 mentions. The phrase “urban tenniscore” has nearly 30 million mentions. Elisa Harca, co-founder of marketing agency Red Ant Asia, says that the tenniscore trend has, in truth, a long history in China, appealing to consumers’ appreciation of classic or ‘old money’ style and the long-running trend repackaged most recently as “quiet luxury”. The core age group is between 25 and 45, she says.
The influencers to watch? Try @Sara爱热汗, a former tennis athlete and now full-time tennis influencer, as well as 喜感Claire, hellovidaaaa and 阿文就是Aya — all in Xiaohongshu’s top 10 sector influencers.
Fila is very active online in China. On 14 June, it dropped a tennis collection in a Douyin live stream with actor Zhang Jun Ning (Janine Chang). The topic for the launch #网球老钱风经典回潮 (“tenniscore as it relates to the retro ‘old money’ fad”) notched up more than 3.6 million views. Fila also released two videos on Xiaohongshu showing its advertisements for the French Open. A Red Box campaign offered fans the opportunity to win a box containing a white tennis skirt or cap.
“The smart thing with Fila is that it’s not just following the trend,” notes Harca. “It has a close relationship with tennis.”
Community building
Lacoste, famously founded by French tennis star René Lacoste in 1933, is also stepping up its presence. To celebrate its 90th anniversary, the brand is organising a three-day event in mid-September in Aranya, a tourism hotspot in Hebei province and a favourite destination for luxury names such as Valentino and Louis Vuitton. Expect an immersive experience and a presentation of the Lacoste x Sporty Rich collaboration. Tennis lessons from experienced players will be on offer. All of Lacoste’s ambassadors, including Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov, will attend the Shanghai Masters in October.
Sandy Ip, founder of Shanghai multi-brand retailer The Holiday Project, which curates sports brands from tennis to swimwear, says tennis is popular because of the sense of camaraderie. “Tennis allows you to enjoy the outdoors and it is very social. It’s a two- or four-person sport and you often associate it with a club house where you can build a tennis community.”
The Bounce Club in Shanghai, founded during the pandemic, is geared towards fashion creatives, young entrepreneurs and international residents and has regular meet-ups and events. “Basically when all airlines stopped, it shut down the usual business travel for all my friends, so we started to hang out in the tennis courts — playing tennis and meeting up with friends,” says co-founder Jin Yuan Yuan. It now has a membership of 230 players.
Harca of Red Ant Asia says court fees are becoming more expensive, as is the coaching. However, whether fans can afford to play regularly on court or not, they can still wear the clothes. “From that perspective, it could be seasonal but can also last long, but in slightly different formats,” says Harca. “Just think of how trends developed from athflow to urbancore — and now to this.”
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
More from this author:
How China fell in love with designer knitwear
In China, ‘Taobao brands’ hit fashion’s mainstream
As global hype wanes, can China pull ahead in the metaverse race?
