Tennis fever sweeps Ningbo schools

Campus tennis is gaining popularity as an after-school activity among students in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

At the short tennis hall of Gulin Town Central Primary School, the school tennis team's honors are displayed on the staircase, including 45 gold medals from national youth tennis competitions and the titles of Zhejiang Tennis Characteristic School and Ningbo Tennis Training Unit.

Fan Tao, deputy secretary-general of the Ningbo Tennis Association and coach of the Gulin Town Central Primary School tennis team, said the school team trains in tiers every day after school, focusing on physical fitness and skills. With an average of four training sessions per week, over 70 students from the first to sixth grade are trained year-round, forming an integrated training system from short tennis to transition tennis and then standard tennis. A layered talent training model from the school team to the district team, city team, and provincial team has been established.

Other schools, such as Jiangbei District No 2 Experimental Primary School, have also made remarkable achievements in tennis. In 2007, the school established a "Happy Tennis" club, combining short tennis and standard tennis training.

About 30 schools in Ningbo currently offer tennis programs, with an estimated 6,000 students participating. While most schools offer after-school tennis clubs, others have set up tennis curriculums and in-school clubs.

Schools like Yinzhou High School and Ningbo No 3 Middle School recruit students with tennis talent annually, providing a pathway for tennis-players to advance in their studies.

However, the development of campus tennis in Ningbo also faces challenges.

Fan noted that compared to cities like Hangzhou, Wenzhou, and Jiaxing, which have more developed tennis markets and a joint training model between schools and tennis clubs, Ningbo still needs to improve its overall development model by integrating market mechanisms.

Combining the school model and club model could help cultivate more outstanding tennis players, Fan added.