TENNIS PLAYERS from China

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Chinese Tennis Players of all time. This list of famous Chinese Tennis Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Chinese Tennis Players.

1. Li Na (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 47.06, Li Na is the most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 63 different languages on wikipedia.

Li Na (born 26 February 1982) is a Chinese former professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 2. In her career, Li won nine singles titles, including two major titles at the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open. Those victories made her the first Grand Slam singles champion from Asia, male or female. She was also the first player representing an Asian country to appear in a major singles final, finishing as the runner-up at the 2011 Australian Open. Li was the runner-up at the 2013 Australian Open and 2013 WTA Tour Championships, a three-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and a semifinalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2013 US Open. Among her other most notable achievements, she was the first Chinese player to win a WTA Tour title at the Guangzhou International Women's Open in 2004, the first to reach a major singles quarterfinal at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, and the first to break into the world's top ten. By 2013, Li's accomplishments had made her the most successful Asian tennis player in history, landing her on Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People in the World. She is credited with growing tennis in China, with former world No. 1 Chris Evert writing: "Tennis has exploded in China. The country now has some 15 million tennis players; 116 million watched Li win the French Open. That kind of exposure is crucial to our sport, and it never would have happened without Li." Li retired from tennis in September 2014, at age 32. In 2019, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

2. Peng Shuai (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 43.42, Peng Shuai is the 2nd most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Peng Shuai (Chinese: 彭帅; pinyin: Péng Shuài; Mandarin pronunciation: [pʰə̌ŋ ʂwâɪ] ; born 8 January 1986) is a Chinese former professional tennis player. In February 2014, she was ranked as the world No. 1 doubles player by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), becoming the first Chinese tennis player to achieve that ranking in any discipline. She peaked at No. 14 of the singles rankings in August 2011, and won two singles and 23 doubles titles on the WTA Tour. Peng won a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova in the singles final. At the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, Peng won her first major title, in women's doubles with Hsieh Su-wei. She also won the women's doubles title at the 2014 French Open with Hsieh. Her best performance at a major in singles came at the 2014 US Open where she reached the semifinals, becoming the third Chinese tennis player in history to reach a major semifinal after Zheng Jie and Li Na. Peng was known for playing with two hands on both sides and hitting very flat. She defeated many top-10 and top-5 players, including Kim Clijsters, Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo, Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Janković, Agnieszka Radwańska, Marion Bartoli, and Vera Zvonareva. In November 2021, in what was suspected to be a forced disappearance, Peng disappeared from public after making a post on Weibo. It detailed a long-term affair involving Zhang Gaoli, a retired Chinese Vice Premier, who was reportedly accused of raping her. The news became widely censored in China. International concerns for Peng grew, and the WTA suspended all its events in the country. Peng has made limited public appearances since the incident and announced her retirement from professional tennis. Although unsatisfied with the case, the WTA announced that it would return to China in 2023.

3. Zheng Jie (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 39.40, Zheng Jie is the 3rd most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Zheng Jie (born 5 July 1983) is a Chinese former professional tennis player. In May 2009, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 15. Zheng is one of China's most successful tennis players. She won four singles titles on the WTA Tour – Hobart in 2005, Estoril, Stockholm in 2006, and Auckland in 2012. She also won 15 career doubles titles, eleven of them with Yan Zi, including Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2006. She won the bronze medal in doubles with Yan Zi at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her career-high doubles ranking is world No. 3. Zheng reached the singles semifinals at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, where she defeated world No. 1, Ana Ivanovic, in the process, becoming the first Chinese player to advance to the semifinals at a major tournament. She also reached the semifinals of the 2010 Australian Open.

4. Yan Zi (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 38.61, Yan Zi is the 4th most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Yan Zi (Chinese: 晏紫; born 12 November 1984) is a retired Chinese-Hong Kong tennis player.

5. Sun Tiantian (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 35.01, Sun Tiantian is the 5th most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Sun Tiantian (Chinese: 孙甜甜; pinyin: Sūn Tiántián; Mandarin pronunciation: [swə́n tʰjɛ̌n tʰjɛ̌n]; born 12 October 1981) is a Chinese tennis player. She won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles along with her partner Li Ting. Sun reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 77 in March 2007, winning her only WTA Tour singles title at the 2006 Tashkent Open, and a career-high in doubles of No. 16 in October 2007, winning eleven WTA Tour titles and reaching the quarterfinals of three Grand Slam tournaments, and winning the mixed doubles event at the 2008 Australian Open alongside Nenad Zimonjić.

6. Zhang Shuai (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 34.40, Zhang Shuai is the 6th most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Zhang Shuai (Chinese: 张帅; pinyin: Zhāng Shuài; Mandarin pronunciation: [ʈʂáŋ ʂwâɪ] ; born 21 January 1989) is a Chinese professional tennis player. She has a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 2, achieved in July 2022 and a singles ranking of No. 22 reached in January 2023. She is a two-time Grand Slam tournament champion in women's doubles, having won the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 US Open, both alongside Samantha Stosur. Zhang also finished runner-up at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and 2024 US Open, and has reached six further semifinals across women's and mixed doubles. She has won a total of 14 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including the 2021 Cincinnati Open with Stosur. Zhang has also qualified for the WTA Finals on two occasions. She has also enjoyed success in singles winning three WTA Tour singles titles, at the Guangzhou International in 2013 and 2017, and the 2022 Lyon Open, and finished runner-up at three further tournaments. She has reached two major quarterfinals, at the 2016 Australian Open and 2019 Wimbledon Championships. Alongside Li Na, Zheng Jie, Peng Shuai, Wang Qiang and Zheng Qinwen, Zhang is one of only six Chinese tennis players to have reached this stage at a major. She has represented China in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2009, and also competed at the 2012, 2016 and 2024 Olympic Games.

7. Li Ting (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 33.56, Li Ting is the 7th most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Li Ting (Chinese: 李婷; pinyin: Lǐ Tíng; born 5 January 1980) is a Chinese tennis player. She won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles alongside Sun Tiantian.

8. Zheng Qinwen (b. 2002)

With an HPI of 32.62, Zheng Qinwen is the 8th most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Zheng Qinwen (Chinese: 郑钦文; pinyin: Zhèng Qīnwén; IPA: [ʈʂə̂ŋ tɕʰínwə̌n]; born 8 October 2002) is a Chinese professional tennis player. She won the gold medal in women's singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first Asian tennis player, male or female, to win an Olympic gold in singles. On her way to the medal, she defeated top players, including world No. 1, Iga Swiatek. She reached a career-high WTA ranking of No. 5 on 11 November 2024, and is only the second Chinese player to reach the top 10 after Li Na. Zheng won her first WTA Tour tournament in 2023 at the Palermo Ladies Open defeating Jasmine Paolini, successfully defending the title the following year. In summary, she has won four WTA Tour titles, one WTA Challenger title, and eight ITF singles titles, and was named the 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year. She contested a major final at the 2024 Australian Open.

9. Wang Qiang (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 30.31, Wang Qiang is the 9th most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Wang Qiang (Chinese: 王蔷; pinyin: Wáng Qiáng; Mandarin pronunciation: [wǎŋ tɕʰjǎŋ]; born 14 January 1992) is a Chinese tennis player. On 9 September 2019, Wang achieved her highest singles ranking of world No. 12, becoming the second-highest ranked Chinese tennis player in history after Li Na. She has won two singles titles on the WTA Tour, one WTA 125 singles title, and 14 singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit. Her best performance at a Grand Slam came at the 2019 US Open when she advanced to the quarterfinals. Alongside Li Na, Zheng Jie, Peng Shuai, Zhang Shuai and Zheng Qinwen, Wang is one of only six Chinese tennis players to have reached the quarterfinals of a Major.

10. Zheng Saisai (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 29.97, Zheng Saisai is the 10th most famous Chinese Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Zheng Saisai or Zheng Sai-Sai (Chinese: 郑赛赛; born 5 February 1994) is a Chinese tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 34, achieved on 2 March 2020, and a doubles ranking of No. 15, achieved on 11 July 2016. In her career, she won one singles title in 2019 (at the Premier event in Silicon Valley), and six doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She also reached the final of the 2019 French Open in doubles with compatriot Duan Yingying. In addition, she won three singles and three doubles titles at WTA 125 tournaments, as well as twelve singles and nine doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. Playing for China Fed Cup team, Zheng has a win–loss record of 11–7 as of September 2024.