“Orders are through the roof. The printing machines are practically on fire today.” Such was the sentiment of one flustered Nike store employee writing on the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu after the custom jersey worn by Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen for her gold medal match at the Paris Olympics was made available in stores, with designs printed onsite. At one point, the same product on e-commerce platforms was completely sold out.

The sponsors who bet on Zheng early are today reaping the rewards.

Shortly after Zheng won gold in the women’s singles event at the Olympics this month, Nike ran a billboard campaign featuring Zheng alongside the message “Winning is always the answer” in bold red letters. The ad appeared at landmarks in several major Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai. In the run-up to the Games, Nike ran a similar ad as part of its “Winning isn’t for everyone” campaign that showed a determined-looking Zheng beside the phrase: “There’s only one souvenir I want from Paris.”

In addition to Nike, which has sponsored Zheng since she was in middle school, the brands that came on board just before the Olympics such as dairy producer Yili, milk tea chain Chagee, and supplement manufacturer Swisse have been quick to offer their congratulations and promote Zheng’s achievement across social media. “When winning is ingrained in your bones, victory is inevitable,” Swisse wrote in one post.

On Aug. 3, after firing a perfectly placed shot and watching her Croatian opponent Donna Vekić’s attempted return fly out of bounds, Zheng broke down in joy and tumbled back onto the clay court. With that, she became the first Chinese tennis player to win an Olympic singles title. She is also the first Asian player to ever achieve the feat.

Three days later, an article by Zheng headlined “Great dreams can only be achieved through perseverance” was published in People’s Daily. “I’ve always admired those who can make history. Now, I have become one of them,” she wrote.

In the Chinese sports scene, Zheng is another emerging star with a “coming of age” story — a gifted Gen Z prodigy with an international vision, a stylish appearance, and an outgoing personality. She looks en route to surpass all her predecessors including China’s two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na.

It’s hard not to compare Zheng with freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who became the country’s first Gen Z superstar when she won two gold medals and one silver at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She was praised for both her exceptional athletic talent and the youthful spirit that she embodied in her attitude and appearance.

In contrast to Gu’s dominance in her field, Zheng’s route to Olympic glory in Paris was an unexpected surprise. After her defeat in the 2024 Australian Open final, Zheng experienced a prolonged slump that drew criticism from supporters who felt she had grown complacent. Nonetheless, public sentiment shifted when she battled her way into the semifinals in Paris, then went on to win the title. On court, Zheng showed incredible endurance and a composed attitude against multiple ranked opponents.

Two female athletes, both in their early 20s, have made history, their stories coinciding perfectly with today’s rising feminist narrative. Fans have not only praised their upbringing, life choices, and career paths but also closely compared their growth potential and commercial value.

The data certainly backs Zheng’s commercial value.

The tennis star came in at No. 15 on Forbes’ 2023 list of the world’s highest-paid female athletes, having earned $1.7 million in on-court revenue and $5.5 million off the court. Gu came in second with $100,000 and $22 million, respectively. It’s worth noting that Li Na was once the second-highest earner among female athletes worldwide, with Forbes reporting that, at her peak, she earned $23.6 million a year.

The brands currently holding commercial contracts with Zheng include Nike, Wilson, Yili, Ant Group, Chagee, Swisse, and Lancôme. It’s expected that after setting a new bar for Chinese women’s tennis at the Olympics, her commercial value will continue to grow exponentially.

Zheng’s endorsements and partnerships are comparable to those of both Li and Gu, showing significant potential in sectors like fashion and advertising for tech products and automobiles.

Early investment

Similar to Gu and Chinese Olympic champion snowboarder Su Yiming, Zheng’s athletic career has also followed an unconventional “out of system” path.

Unlike most Chinese athletes who receive their education and training through local sports administration departments and affiliated sports schools, Zheng’s tennis training has been almost entirely self-funded. She has her own coaching staff and support team. In a way, this highly professionalized training system has allowed Zheng to access resources around the world, enabling her to maximize her talent and potential and develop systematic technical breakthroughs. At the same time, her resilient character and ability to express herself confidently on a global stage have been honed and amplified.

Zheng’s accomplishments also bear witness to the path paved by Li Na and her other predecessors.

Zheng, who grew up in the central Hubei province, began learning tennis at the age of 5. In 2008, her father Zheng Jianping sought out Xia Xiyao, a former coach of Li Na, to train his daughter. Later, she also trained under Yu Liqiao, a renowned coach with the Hubei provincial tennis team.

Coincidentally, 2008 was also a big year for Li Na. After the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Li moved away from the state-run training system, only paying management fees to her governing body while personally covering the costs of overseas training and competitions, officially becoming a professional tennis player. In 2011, she won the women’s singles title at the French Open, her first Grand Slam trophy, making her an overnight Asian tennis sensation.

Li’s success prompted Zheng Jianping to consider expanding his approach to his daughter’s tennis training. In 2014, not long after Li won the Australian Open, 12-year-old Zheng moved from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, to Beijing and enrolled in the Potter’s Wheel Tennis Academy, where she trained under Carlos Rodríguez, another of Li’s former coaches. This marked the official start of Zheng’s professional tennis career.

In fact, the decade in which Zheng grew up was the same period when the professionalization of Chinese tennis began taking shape. Zheng, along with other Chinese Gen Z players, all proceeded through their junior careers during this time. In a sense, they drew inspiration from and aimed to replicate the successes of players like Li Na.

As more athletes left the traditional state-run sports school system, forming professional training teams as individuals and competing on the international stage, the training model for Chinese tennis started to undergo fundamental changes. However, this new model also meant higher costs.

When Zheng was enrolled in the tennis academy in Beijing, she had her own coaching team, and even a personal fitness trainer and nutritionist. Her training started to become more tailored, more focused, and more expensive. Tuition fees, coaching fees, and travel expenses for competitions would add up to hundreds of thousands of yuan a year. The bulk of these costs fell on Zheng’s family.

An article in Titan Sports suggested that, although Zheng’s father had put significant effort into managing his technology and manufacturing company, he also had to sell off some family possessions, including many household appliances. Deng Fang, Zheng’s mother, quit her job to take care of her daughter’s everyday activities so that she could concentrate on her tennis. Periodically, Zheng’s grandmother would also visit to assist in taking care of Zheng.

Zheng is also fortunate. According to China Business News, in 2013, she traveled to the IMG Academy in the U.S. state of Florida to attend a tennis camp. As the world’s largest sports agency, IMG had signed stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Li Na. Zheng’s outstanding performance in the competition caught the attention of IMG agents, who immediately decided to sign the 11-year-old Zheng.

The IMG Academy has extensive resources in event management and has a track record in creating superstars. It has played a pivotal role in Zheng’s career. Thanks to its connections, she was able to secure a sponsorship deal with Nike at age 13.

Breakout stars

It’s worth mentioning that the resources invested in Zheng by her family, management company, and commercial partners are based on a key factor — tennis is one of the most commercially developed sports in the world. Globally, tennis’ influence is undeniable. The sport’s four Grand Slam tournaments — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open — and other major international events like the WTA Tour offer substantial prize money. For example, the prize pot for this year’s Australian Open was a record 86.5 million Australian dollars ($56.96 million).

China already has a significant number of tennis players. According to the International Tennis Federation’s 2021 Global Tennis Report, more than 87 million people worldwide actively play the game, with China accounting for 22.9%, second only to the United States. At the same time, China also ranks second in the number of courts, with 49,767 across the nation, and fifth in the number of coaches, having 11,350.

After Zheng’s historic Olympic triumph, it is reasonable to expect that tennis will gain even more popularity in China, with Zheng likely to ascend as the new “advertising queen” in the domestic sports industry.

On a global scale, Olympic tennis events are generally less popular among audiences compared with Grand Slam tournaments. However, this time might be different in China. The nationwide focus on the Paris Games and the significance of winning gold for the country have given Zheng’s success added patriotic appeal. This victory has stoked national pride.

“The commercial value of tennis players largely depends on their tournament results and world rankings,” says Liu Yufan, vice president of sports marketing at Ogilvy, the international marketing and public relations agency. “Before the Paris Olympics, Zheng had already become runner-up at the 2024 Australian Open and entered the world top 10, becoming the top Chinese women’s tennis player.”

Liu adds that she wasn’t surprised that Zheng’s commercial partners had high expectations for her before the competition. “For brands, she was already on their radar for potential sponsorship.”

In May, Zheng became “health ambassador” for the trendy tea brand Chagee. Dairy giant Yili moved even faster, signing a contract with Zheng in 2022, stating that the company had “deep insight and a forward-thinking strategy” regarding her fast-developing career.

In a marketing cooperation proposal obtained by Jiemian News, released by the Chinese Tennis Association before the Olympics, Zheng was prominently featured on the players’ page. According to the document, the threshold for securing a sponsorship package with Zheng could be as high as 30 million yuan ($4.17 million) per year.

“There are several ways for brands to approach sports sponsorship marketing,” explains Liu. “Some are long-term investors in sports sponsorships, such as sportswear brands, beverages, and IT companies. Others see it as a tool for event-based marketing, using sports sponsorships to boost brand visibility during major sporting events.” Brands are willing to bet on athletes because once they achieve fame, their commercial value often rises accordingly.

However, what many people tend to overlook is that these early bets play a crucial component in promoting an athlete’s commercial value. Looking at the brands that backed athletes like Gu and Zheng before the Olympics, they were often in a growth phase themselves, willing to allocate large budgets to global marketing. These brands already had a certain level of public interest and recognition. By associating with emerging athletes who had the potential to become breakout stars, these brands not only boosted their own visibility but also helped the athletes expand their recognition and increase their fame.

Standing up

Beyond their sporting abilities, the stories behind this new generation of athletes are attaining significant exposure on social media. Athletes are not only gaining fans through their performances in tournaments but also building popularity in other areas, often in a more entertainment-focused manner. As their influence extends off the court, they provide brands with more opportunities for collaboration.

Zheng’s appeal among brands lies in her confident self-expression and stylish, elegant appearance. Her combination of talent, intelligence, and beauty makes her an ideal partner for brand partnerships.

This was evident in Nike’s “Winning isn’t for everyone” campaign before the Olympics, showcasing the dominance and confidence of top athletes. For example, Norwegian long-distance runner and world record holder Jakob Ingebrigtsen appeared in an ad with the slogan “I don’t want first. I want first ever.”, while French basketball sensation Victor Wembanyama appeared alongside “My dream is to end theirs.” Similarly, “Queen Wen” has become a prominent label associated with Zheng Qinwen.

After winning the Olympic gold medal, a reporter asked Zheng whether she had truly earned the title “Queen Wen.” She responded, “Absolutely.”

Fans who paid attention to Zheng’s matches might have noticed that, like Li Na, she is not afraid to respond to disruptions from the stands during a match. Even when faced with unfriendly remarks from competitors, she doesn’t back down, maintaining focus without getting affected by negativity.

During the round of 16 in the women’s singles event on July 30, Zheng defeated American player Emma Navarro 2-1. In a post-match interview, Navarro congratulated Zheng but went on to state: “I didn’t respect her as a competitor. I think she goes about things in a pretty cut-throat way. It makes for a locker room that doesn’t have a lot of camaraderie, so it’s tough to face an opponent like that, who I really don’t respect.”

Zheng was unfazed by the comments and displayed the confidence of a winner. She responded, “If she’s not happy about my behavior, she can come and tell me. I would like to correct it to become a better player and a better person. I will not consider it an attack because she lost the match.”

Two days after her victory in Paris, Zheng showed up at a Nike event in style, displaying energy and delivering memorable quotes. She will swiftly move on to her next commercial tour.

Regardless of the results in future matches, one thing is certain: Zheng is on course to become the face of Chinese tennis for the next decade and beyond.

Reported by Ma Yue and Qin Siyue.

A version of this article originally appeared in Jiemian News. It has been translated and edited for brevity and clarity, and is republished here with permission.

Translator: Zhou Zhijian; contributions: Wang Juyi; editors: Xue Ni and Hao Qibao.

(Header image: Zheng Qinwen in action in the Women’s Singles Gold Medal match at the Paris Olympic Games, Aug. 3, 2024. Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images/VCG)