During the offseason, Shang Juncheng (Jerry) revamped his fitness routine by hiring a new trainer. He shifted emphasis from rigorous fitness training to prioritize movement, resulting in a notable 4 Kg weight loss.

His new training regimen makes sense because he is only 5 ft 11. So he needs to rely on his movement on the court to win points. He can’t be a big server at his height.

2023 is going to be a crucial season for Shang. He reached his career-high ranking of 149 in 2023. With improvements in his game and fitness, he should break into the top 100 in 2024 if things go according to plan.

Jerry Shang trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He is the son of former footballer Shang Yi and former table tennis player Wu Na. As a junior, Shang reached the finals at the US Open boy’s tournament.

In a move that has been on the horizon since last year, the adjustment to the WTA rankings system has officially taken effect January 1, 2024. The modification shifts the calculation methodology for rankings from a player’s best 16 tournaments in the last 12 months to the best 18 tournaments, aligning it with the ATP system.

The changes are immediate, which means that every player’s rankings are recalculated based on the best-of-18 tournament methodology. This led to some big changes in the rankings, especially for lower-ranked players. You can check out the latest rankings on the WTA website.

For doubles, the WTA will move from best of 11 to best of 12 tournaments for the rankings. Interestingly, the WTA decided to keep the maximum number of tournaments to 12 for doubles, and not increase it to 18 like they did for singles.

However, this adjustment to rankings seems to contradict recent worries about the duration of the tennis season and insufficient breaks within the tennis season. In recent years, WTA has had to deal with many players getting injured during the season and taking a mental break from the sport.