Top Asian men’s player is years away: Djokovic

Serb does not see the region producing a grand slam winner in next 5 years.

BEIJING: World number one Novak Djokovic says it will be at least five years before Asia can produce a top-ranking men’s player, and greater support for emerging players is the key.

Only one Asian is currently among the men’s top 40, number 13-ranked Kei Nishikori from Japan, and he has trained in the US since the age of 14 and is based there.

Women’s tennis in Asia has been boosted by the emergence of Li Na, who has pioneered the sport in China due to her huge popularity as a 2011 French Open winner.

But the world number five remains the only singles Grand Slam winner from Asia, and Djokovic said more Asian stars are needed in men’s tournaments to raise awareness.

“First we have to see Asian players more coming towards the top of men’s tennis,” he told reporters in Beijing after winning his opening match at the China Open against Czech Lukas Rosol 6-0, 6-3.

“With bigger support and awareness about tennis, I think you can expect better results.”

But he said Asia was still a long way from producing a player who could be ‘dominant’.

“That is not realistic for Asian players at this moment because they haven’t had any big success in Grand Slams,” he said.

“In the next five years I don’t see it happening, but, you know, maybe I’m wrong.”

Djokovic also said a ‘kind of a system that can support the sport in this part of the world’ was needed that would invest money and expertise into emerging players.

Li, Radwanska, Petkovic progress

Li Na’s bid to claim her first major tournament on home soil remained on course as she progressed to the quarter-finals of the China Open after defeating Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki.

The home crowd favourite dumped out her German opponent 7-5, 6-4 in a cool-headed display of efficiency at a packed National Tennis Centre.

In the quarter-finals, the fourth seed will face Czech Petra Kvitova, who defeated Italian Sara Errani 6-4, 6-7(7/3), 6-3 in their third-round match.

World number four Agnieszka Radwanska had earlier powered through to the third round with a convincing victory over American teenager Madison Keys.

The Polish third seed claimed a 6-3, 6-2 victory over the 18-year-old, who is being tipped as one of the rising stars of women’s tennis.

Radwanska, a previous winner in Beijing in 2011, had defeated Keys at Wimbledon in the summer, and praised her opponent after their meeting.

“I think she’s one of the youngest talented players coming out,” she said.

“I think in a couple of years we are going to see her more often, definitely.”

Elsewhere, Andrea Petkovic continued her stunning form at the tournament by dumping out former Roland Garros winner Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in her second-round match.

The German, who is ranked 43 in the world, took just over two hours to claim victory over the 25th-ranked Russian, a previous winner in Beijing in 2006 and 2009.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd,  2013.

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