As the Qizhong Tennis Center celebrates its 20th anniversary, a host of notable upgrades are on display at the home of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Asia’s largest ATP Tour event.
The Qizhong Tennis Center is known for its iconic magnolia retractable roof. It opened in 2005 and hosted the Tennis Masters Cup for four years in a row before hosting the first ATP Masters 1000 event in 2009. Tournament Director Michael Luevano and General Manager Charles Humphrey Smith have seen the growth of not only the tournament, but also the facilities, as most recently illustrated by this year’s developments.
“We have two new features this year,” Smith said. “One of these is a new roof on Grandstand 2, a fantastic design that cannot be compared anywhere in the world. And a new practice field, which is probably the first tennis court we have built – a stadium dedicated to practice for our top players.”
The 1,400-seat practice stadium offers fans an intimate view of the best players in the world.
“It’s a more relaxed environment and in one day [fans] I see probably two or three of the best players in the world here, so for them it’s like a buffet of the best,” Smith added.
Court 17, the brand new practice field at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Credit: Rolex Shanghai Masters
Not only fans enjoyed the training stadium, but also players such as Holger Rune, who reached his first quarter-final in Shanghai this edition.
“It’s nice for players to have a nice competition field to train on and also do some practice in a more comfortable environment,” said Rune. “I actually had three practices on that new court, one with Novak [Djokovic]one with [Ugo] Humbert and one with [Miomir] Kecmanović. There’s more space for the fans and it’s a safer environment, which is great.”
Alex de Minaur, who sits seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is competing in the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time in a row, also praised the improvements to the facilities and the atmosphere around the new practice field.
“It’s a beautiful track and I had the chance to make a hit with fellow countryman Rinky [Hijikata] and that was a lot of fun,” De Minaur said. “Every time you’re in China, they show such great support. The fans are great, they are grateful, they love their tennis and it is always a pleasure to play for them.”
Just like De Minaur, Serbian Novak Djokovic resonates with the passionate Chinese fans. The 38-year-old owns a record four titles in Shanghai, making his 11th appearance dating back to the tournament debut in 2009.
“Every practice session feels like playing a match,” said Djokovic, title winner in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018. “The amount of people there, shouting and really willing to show their support and show their love and passion for what I do – I just love coming back and performing in front of the crowd, it always gives me a lot of energy and a great atmosphere.”
The newly completed roof of Tribune 2 was completed in a short time. Design, permitting and construction all took place in approximately eight months. With the weather largely cooperating this week, the 5,000-seat stadium has had a closed roof only once in the first seven days of the main tournaments.
Grandstand 2. Credit: Rolex Shanghai Masters
Former champion Daniil Medvedev, who triumphed in Shanghai in 2019, played his opening match against Dalibor Svrcina in Grandstand 2. Medvedev has long enjoyed his trips to the ATP Masters 1000 event.
“Since the first time I came here, I have always said that this is the best tournament we have on tour if we win the Grand Slams,” Medvedev said. “Of course it’s just my opinion, but that’s my favorite tournament on Tour. I love coming back here, I love the facilities, I love the courts, I love everything about this place.”
The retractable roof of Grandstand 2 is unique: when open, it covers the square, and when closed, the entire site is completely protected. Its aesthetic design makes it a unique structure not only in tennis, but also in sports in general.
Among other notable upgrades is the expansion of the miniature golf course, which has proven popular with players. Behind the spacious players’ lounge, the miniature golf course has been expanded from nine holes to 18 holes.
“Each hole has a brief description of where you are in China,” Smith said. “One of the highlights of last year was that we started this little mini golf tournament. At the end of the day, there’s a chance to get away from the tennis and come here and do something fun and have a great time.”
The upgrades to the Qizhong Tennis Center are rooted in twenty years of evolution. Luevano fondly remembers the planning stages of the magnolia-inspired retractable roof atop Stadium Court.
“It’s an incredible journey we’ve been on and I remember seeing the early stages of the architectural designs for the stadium,” Luevano said. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, they would never approve this.
This eight-part stadium with a sliding roof is simply too radical.’ But then I heard the story behind it, that it represents the Shanghai magnolia flower, and I said, ‘Okay, this is it, now I understand.’
The late Brad Drewett, former Executive Chairman and President of ATP, who was once CEO of the International Region, made multiple trips from the Sydney office to Shanghai to witness the construction first-hand.
“We walked around the construction site in hard hats in this huge, gigantic facility, and we have pictures of that,” Luevano said. “It’s just amazing what has been done around it 20 years later.
“This is probably still one of the most iconic tennis venues in the world. It’s just an amazing piece of history in my life.”
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