In 2021, Zhang Zhizhen became the first Chinese man to qualify for Wimbledon. Zhizhen is trying to do for Chinese men’s tennis what Li Na did for the women. He created history by becoming the first Chinese man to be ranked in the top 100, and then the top 50.

Both his parents were athletes – his dad played soccer for Shanghai Shenhua and his mom Qin Wei is a former school. Though he was a good swimmer when he was young, he chose to focus on tennis because his swimming coach was strict.

 Zhang Zhizhen has been playing mostly in the Challenger and Futures circuit as his ranking is not high enough to get into ATP tournaments. He is represented by LJ Sports Group, which was founded by former world number 3 Ivan Ljubičić. His current sponsors are Nike, Head, and Hublot.

Zhang Zhizhen’s Sponsors

Nike

Zhizhen has an apparel and shoe sponsorship deal with Nike.

Head

Zhizhen has a racquet sponsorship contract with Head. 

Hublot

In 2024, he became the ambassador for the luxury watch brand Hublot