‘Beautiful’ upgrades: Inside the enhancements at Shanghai's Qizhong Tennis Center

Djokovic, De Minaur, Rune, Medvedev speak highly of the ATP Masters 1000 event

Rolex Shanghai Masters

The Rolex Shanghai Masters is the lone ATP Masters 1000 event in Asia. By Greg Sharko

As the Qizhong Tennis Center celebrates its 20th anniversary, there are plenty of eye-catching facility upgrades to see at the home of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Asia’s biggest ATP Tour event.

Renowned for its iconic magnolia retractable roof, the Qizhong Tennis Center opened in 2005 and hosted the Tennis Masters Cup for four consecutive years before the inaugural ATP Masters 1000 event began in 2009. Tournament director Michael Luevano and managing director Charles Humphrey Smith have seen the growth of not only the tournament, but also the facilities, most recently exemplified by this year’s developments.

"We have two new features this year,” said Smith. “One is a new roof at Grandstand 2, a fantastic design unlike anything in the world. And a new practice court, which is probably the first in tennis that we built — a stadium just for practice for our top players.”

The 1,400-seat practice stadium allows fans an intimate view of the world’s best players.

"It's a more relaxed environment and in one day, [fans] probably see two or three of the best players in the world here, so for them it's sort of a buffet of the best,” Smith added.

Court 17, the all-new practice court at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Credit: Rolex Shanghai Masters

The practice stadium has not only been enjoyed by fans, but also players like Holger Rune, who made his first Shanghai quarter-final this edition.

“It's nice for players to have a nice match court to train on and also some practice in a more comfortable setting,” said Rune. “I actually had three practices on that new court. One with Novak [Djokovic], one with [Ugo] Humbert and one with [Miomir] Kecmanovic. There's more space for the fans and it's a safer environment, which is great.”

Alex de Minaur, who is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and vying for a second consecutive trip to the Nitto ATP Finals, also praised the facility improvements and atmosphere surrounding the new practice court.

“It's a beautiful court and I had the chance to have a hit with a fellow Aussie Rinky [Hijikata] and that was a lot of fun,” said De Minaur. “Whenever you are in China, they show such amazing support. The fans are great, they're grateful, they love their tennis, and it's always a pleasure to play in front of them."

Like De Minaur, Serbian Novak Djokovic resonates with the passionate Chinese fans. The 38-year-old owns a record four titles in Shanghai, where he is making his 11th appearance, dating back to the tournament’s 2009 debut.

“Every practice session it feels like playing a match,” said Djokovic, titlist in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018. “The amount of people that are there, screaming 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 that always gives me great energy, great vibes.”

The newly completed Grandstand 2 roof was completed with a quick turnaround. Design, permitting, and construction all took place across roughly eight months. With weather largely cooperating this week, the 5,000-seat stadium has featured a closed roof just once in the first seven days of main-draw action.

Grandstand 2. Credit: Rolex Shanghai Masters

Former champion Daniil Medvedev, who triumphed in Shanghai in 2019, played his opening match against Dalibor Svrcina on Grandstand 2. Medvedev has long enjoyed his trips to the ATP Masters 1000 event.

“Since the first time I came here, I’ve always said it’s the best tournament we have on tour if we take out the Grand Slams,” Medvedev said. “Of course it's just my opinion, but that's my favourite tournament on Tour. I love coming back here, I love the facilities, I love the courts, I love everything around this place."

Grandstand 2’s retractable roof is unique: when open, it covers the piazza area, and when closed, the entire court is fully protected. Its aesthetic design makes it a unique structure not just in tennis, but sports overall.

Among other notable upgrades is the expansion of the miniature golf course, which has proven popular with players. Located behind the spacious player lounge, the mini golf course was expanded from nine holes to 18.

"Each hole has a little description of where you are in China,” said Smith. “One of the highlights from last year was we started this little mini golf tournament. At the end of the day, there is a chance to step away from tennis and have something that is fun right here and have a great time.”

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The Qizhong Tennis Center’s upgrades are rooted in two decades 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 through and I remember seeing the early stages of architectural designs for the stadium,” said Luevano. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, they would never approve this.

This eight-piece retractable roof type of stadium, it's just too radical’. But then I heard the story behind it, that it represents the Shanghai magnolia flower and I said, ‘Okay, this is the one, now I understand’.”

The late Brad Drewett, former ATP Executive Chairman and President, who once served as CEO of the International Region, took multiple trips from the Sydney office to Shanghai to witness the construction firsthand.

“We walked the construction site in this massive, massive facility with hard hats, and we have pictures of all that,” said Luevano. “It's just amazing 20 years later what's been done around it.

“This is still probably one of the most iconic tennis venues in the world. It's just such a great piece of history in my life.”

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