Inside Tennis in China

Tennis players from China have been in the news, so here is some insight into what is going on:

Peng, whose 2005 world ranking of 31 was the highest ever for a Chinese player, wants final say over her training regime and tournament schedule, as well as the splitting of prize money, a report said Tuesday. "We will decide on the season schedule on our own, hire our own coach and pay for our own expenses," Peng's mother and spokeswoman, Zhang Bing, was quoted as saying in the state-run newspaper Shanghai Daily.

Like virtually all Chinese athletes, 20-year-old Peng grew up in a state sports system that grooms players from childhood at no cost, but regards them as government servants with little say over their careers.

Tennis officials originally labelled Peng's demands as selfish, but now appear to be backing down.

The newspaper Chengdu Commercial Times cited unnamed tennis officials as saying that "only a few details" remained to be worked out in a deal that would keep Peng on the national team, while letting her arrange her own training and competition schedule.

Peng would pay her expenses, while splitting some prize money with the association, the report said.

I wonder if all the players will want or be able to get a deal like this...