China has recently witnessed a surging tennis fever, with a significant increase in the booking of training classes and courts in multiple cities, after Chinese tennis players achieved a historic breakthrough at Paris Olympics.

“We've seen a 30 percent increase in the sales amount of tennis lesson compared to last month,” said Mr. Pan, branch manager of Dimi Tennis training centre in Beijing’s Fengtai District which has over 800 students.

"We've had many visitors coming in, wanting to experience tennis lessons. They took photos and shared their excitement with friends on social media platforms," Pan added.

Data from e-commerce platform Meituan have shown that the search volume for "tennis" has increased by over 60 percent since July compared to last year. The highest search interest came from consumers in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Guangzhou, with over 50 percent consumers of the age between 25 and 35.

The platform’s data have also revealed that tennis trial lessons and quarterly training packages are selling well, with a 172 percent year-on-year increase in the tennis-related group buying.

Shanghai, with the largest number of tennis courts in China, has seen an increase of 235 percent in search of “tennis” on Meituan’s platform compared to last year.

Zhu Ting, analyst with the Meituan Research Institute told Xinhua the enthusiasm is mainly driven by the spectacular performances and historic achievements of Chinese players at Paris Olympics.

“Tennis has attracted nationwide attention as Zheng Qinwen won the gold medal. With the increasing popularity and participation, the tennis sport in China will have more development opportunities,” Zhu said.

Pan said their customers are of a wide age range, including not only teenagers and young people between 25 and 35, but also retirees in their 60s.

He added that the prices of the lessons are expected to be cheaper as more coaches and training centers are entering the market taking advantage of the wave.

By Zhou Xiaoli, Hang Zebo, Cai Yurui (intern)