Tennis is a global sport, with hundreds of professional tennis tournaments held in different countries and regions every year, attracting countless players and spectators. Among them, the most influential and prestigious tournaments are the four Grand Slams, namely the Australian Open, the French Open, the Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open. These four tournaments are the oldest and most traditional tournaments in the history of tennis, as well as the highest honor and the greatest challenge in the tennis world.
In addition to the four Grand Slams, there are a number of other tournaments, such as ATP and WTA Masters, 1000, 500, 250, etc., as well as international team events such as the Davis Cup, Confederations Cup, and Olympic Games. These tournaments also have their own characteristics and values, adding variety and competitiveness to the sport of tennis.
Among the many tennis tournaments, there is one event that has an important status and influence in Asia and even the world, and that is the China Open Tennis Championships. The China Open Tennis Championship is a men's and women's multi-sport tennis tournament held in Beijing, China, which began in 2004 and is held once a year. Since 2009, the China Open Tennis Championships have been fully upgraded, among which the women's tournament has been upgraded to the WTA Crown Pearl event (second only to the four Grand Slam events), and the men's event has been upgraded to the ATP 500 event (second only to the four Grand Slam events and ATP1000 events). The China Open is second only to the four Grand Slams at the overall level, and is known as the "Big Four Super Tournaments" along with the Indian Wells Masters, the Miami Masters and the Madrid Masters.
The China Open, formerly known as the Beijing Salon Open, was first held in 1993 as a men's tournament and was one of the ATP's new tournaments in Asia. Chinese tennis star Zhang Depei is the first athlete to win more than one singles title, having won two consecutive singles titles, and a total of three times. The Beijing Salon Open was cancelled from 1998 to 2003 and was upgraded to the China Open in 2004 with the addition of women's events.
The China Open Tennis Championships were held from 2004 to 2008 at the Beijing Tennis Center, with a total of 15 competition venues, of which the ** court can accommodate 13,520 spectators. In 2006, the China Open became the first tournament outside the United States to use the Hawkeye system.
In 2009, the WTA underwent a tournament reform, and the China Open tennis tournament became the "Crown Jewel" (now the WTA 1000 tournament (mandatory tournament)) along with the Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid tours, and the participation of the world's top 50 players was compulsory, and the total prize money rose to $4.5 million. The men's event is one of the ATP 500 events. Since 2009, the China Open Tennis Championships have been relocated from the Beijing Tennis Center to the Beijing Olympic Park Tennis Center (later renamed the National Tennis Center). The National Tennis Center has a total construction area of 26,514 square meters, with a total of 12 competition venues and 6 practice Xi courts. Among them, the Diamond Stadium is used as the final venue and can accommodate 10,000 spectators.
In 2011, the China Open opened a new tennis court, the Diamond Court, which is the first tennis court in the world to have both a double-glazed private room and a retractable roof. In 2014, Chinese tennis star Li Na held a retirement press conference in the press conference hall of the Diamond Court, and on September 30, "Salute to Li Na - Li Na's retirement ceremony was held at the Diamond Court.
In 2019, the China Open announced that the total prize money of its tournament reached a record high of US$11.16 million, including a total prize fund of US$7.64 million for the women's crown tournament and a record prize fund of US$3.52 million for the men's ATP 500 event, with the number of prize money continuing to lead the ATP 500 tournament.