Three #NextGenATP players, Karen Khachanov, Jared Donaldson and Taylor Fritz, all visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The trio, who are competing at the Chengdu Open, saw giant baby and red pandas during their morning trip and were definitely smitten by the cuddly animals, especially Donaldson, who came prepared with a variety of panda trivia. “Did you know that China owns the rights to every panda in the world, except two? Those two are in Mexico,” said Donaldson. “My mum would be very happy that I got this opportunity to go out and see the pandas.” Fritz said, “We got to see all kinds of pandas and it’s really cool to see what Chengdu is famous for....
Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis and #NextGenATP Croatian Borna Coric explored some Sichuan culinary treats on Monday, during time out from the Chengdu Open. The duo, closely guided by Nelson Ong, the Executive Chef at the St. Regis Chengdu, tried their hands at making traditional Chinese meat dumplings. Coric said, “The chef told us that we were very good for our first time - I doubt it, but if he says so, I believe him! I’m not really a big fan of spicy food, but I don’t mind having this for lunch today.” “At the beginning it was tough,” said former World No. 8 Baghdatis. “I didn’t realise you needed to put some water so that the dough sticks together, but once...
#NextGenATP players Jared Donaldson and Mikael Ymer took the opportunity to experience the local culture in Chengdu on Sunday as they visited ‘Wangjian Lou’, one of Chengdu’s cultural attractions that roughly translates as ‘river view pavilion’. The American and Swede took part in a game of mini-tennis in the park before learning the ancient local art of calligraphy from a ‘sifu’ (master). “There are not a lot of similarities between American and Chinese culture - we don’t have bamboo and cultural places like this,” said Donaldson. “It’s a really beautiful setting. I remember learning calligraphy in the fourth grade, but I haven’t practised it since - I think I did a good job though! “I’m lucky to have this opportunity...
As they battle to secure their place in Milan at the end of the year, with fewer than 50 days to go, the #NextGenATP stars have been lighting it up on the ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour with an array of hot shots.
ATPWorldTour.com has chosen the best five and now it’s up to you, the fans, to decide which is the best hot shot from a #NextGenATP player in the third quarter of the season.
Click through to watch the Top 5 and cast your vote!
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There are more than one billion people in China, but none are smiling as brightly as Wu Yibing. The 17 year old is redefining the Asian tennis landscape with every victory and on Sunday he notched another significant milestone, scoring his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Shanghai. Just seven days after lifting the US Open junior trophy, Yibing made history on home soil in becoming the youngest Chinese champion on the Challenger circuit. He claimed victory when Yen-Hsun Lu was forced to retire with a right shoulder injury after the first set (won by Yibing in a tie-break). Yibing's run to the title was as momentous as it was dominant. The Hangzhou native did not drop a set all...
