Can Zheng's dad's online school truly replicate Zheng Qinwen's success? Parents' bold claims spark heated discussions about online school promotions.

Recently, at the Golden Grand Slam Tennis Training School founded by Zheng Qinwen's father, a mother expressed her hopeful vision in front of the camera, stating that by following the training model of her Olympic champion father, one could undoubtedly replicate Zheng Qinwen's success. However, there was a wave of skepticism online, with many pointing out that many parents only see Zheng Qinwen's success while overlooking the innate talent and extraordinary effort behind it.

After Zheng Qinwen won the women's singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics last year, her father, Zheng Jianping, established the "Queen Wen Wuhan Qisheng Golden Grand Slam Tennis School" in December of the same year. This tennis school, created in collaboration with the Wuhan Sports Bureau and Zheng Jianping's club, promises to introduce high-level coaching teams from both domestic and international sources while reducing the training costs for young tennis players. Following the school's establishment, many parents flocked to it, eager for their children to become the next "Zheng Qinwen"!

During an interview with a television reporter, a parent expressed confidence: "With Zheng's dad's quality resources and successful experience, replicating Zheng Qinwen's success is entirely possible; all I need to do is keep going!"

However, this statement quickly gained traction on social media, with one netizen bluntly stating: "If the goal is to turn professional, then it requires a different approach to learning tennis. This persistence is not that simple; it demands a significant amount of money and time, and one must be prepared for the 99.9% chance of not becoming 'Zheng Qinwen'."

This remark directly addresses the "utilitarian mindset" many parents have regarding their children's tennis training today. Many only see Zheng Qinwen's success but fail to recognize the hardships she endured during her growth and the innate talent and ability of China's top female player, blindly trying to "force growth" without considering whether the child likes tennis or is suited for a true professional career.

However, some netizens raised questions: "Doesn't the strong enthusiasm of many parents also relate to the promotions of the online school itself?"

On December 25 of last year, the Wuhan Sports School, Qisheng Golden Grand Slam Tennis School, and the Wuhan Sports Bureau signed a tripartite agreement, stipulating that the school would commence operations in January 2025 for a duration of five years. The Wuhan Sports Bureau will provide training venues, event support, and comprehensive guarantees for scientific training, physical training, and rehabilitation, while Zheng Jianping's club will be responsible for assembling a high-level coaching team.

"Many Chinese teenagers used to travel far and wide to Europe and America, spending huge sums to learn tennis." Zheng Jianping stated at the signing ceremony, "Now, we are preparing to bring in some high-level coaches to significantly lower the costs for young players in mainland China."

From the ten-year plan released by the school, it is evident that Zheng Jianping's team plans to develop training for both youth tennis players and professional tennis players, aiming to create a "production line" for tennis stars. This ambitious plan has attracted many parents hoping for their children to achieve great success.

However, while many parents dream of "replicating Zheng Qinwen's success," they may overlook the harsh elimination mechanisms of professional tennis and the arduous journey involved.

According to relevant data, most players ranked beyond the top 100 on the current professional tennis circuit cannot achieve complete "self-sufficiency." A professional player requires a full team to support them: coaches, fitness trainers, medical teams, nutritionists, video analysts—each role is essential. However, this raises the issue of expenses; many touring players are currently "in debt," relying on credit cards each month just to maintain team costs.

A player who can reach the main draw of a Grand Slam spends over seven figures a year on various expenses. Reports indicate that Zheng Qinwen's family has invested over eight figures in training costs to get her to this point.

Some parents might say, "My child is different! They are exceptionally gifted! What does being ranked 100 in the world mean? My goal is for them to become Zheng Qinwen! To be in the top ten professionally!"

Let's calculate if it's easy to earn money like China's top female player, Zheng Qinwen! As of now, Zheng Qinwen's earnings this season have reached $1.44 million. But can you guess what her final net income will be after deductions?

According to reports, Zheng Qinwen's income of $1.44 million converts to approximately 10.22 million RMB. While this may sound like an "annual salary that ordinary people cannot reach," the actual amount received is far lower than expected. Among these deductions, China's tennis association takes an 11% cut, which amounts to about 1.12 million RMB. Additionally, she must bear a foreign tax rate of up to 40%: international prize money is generally taxed according to local laws, and places like the U.S., France, and Australia have high tax rates, taking nearly half of the prize money. After these deductions, Zheng Qinwen only ends up with about 6.12 million RMB.

However, the problem is that her team's expenses are enormous! Her main coach, Pereiriba, training partners, senior fitness trainers, and senior therapists, among others, reportedly cost her team up to 7.5 million RMB, not including other expenses. Therefore, this means Zheng Qinwen not only ends up with nothing but also has to spend nearly 1.5 million RMB to maintain her team.

Reports indicate that China's top female player has hired Nadal's former coach, Toni Nadal, not only to prepare for Wimbledon but also for a more crucial task: to streamline the team and reduce expenses. The ultimate goal is very clear: prioritize quality over redundancy. However, the issue is that coaches of Nadal's caliber cannot join for "friendship prices." Industry insiders suggest that his annual salary could exceed 3 million RMB, which adds another substantial cost.

Some may ask, but aren't sponsorship fees for professional players high? Yet, they also come with many responsibilities! In 2024, China's top female player saw her commercial endorsement income surpass 220 million RMB, becoming a genuine "sports tycoon," collaborating with top brands like Nike, Rolex, Huawei, and Xiaohongshu.

Enormous off-court sponsorship also means significant off-court energy investment. From having to hold a fan meeting to apologize for withdrawing from last year's Ningbo tournament, to rushing to participate in various sponsor activities after the Riyadh year-end finals, which led to insufficient rest during winter training and injury, to attending sponsor events between various competitions this year, China's top female player has never had a moment of rest. However, sponsors do not simply want you to participate in activities; player schedules, coaching changes, training arrangements—all must be negotiated with these sponsors! Moreover, sponsors often set "performance requirements." If a player cannot use the money earned to reflect on their performance and continue pursuing higher achievements, sponsors will quickly withdraw their investment. So, making money is not that easy!

The early-stage training of players is also a challenge! Zheng Qinwen herself revealed to reporters: "When I was fourteen or fifteen, my dad even sold our house to support my tennis. He wanted to give everything to fulfill my tennis dream." Such family sacrifices far exceed ordinary expectations.

Additionally, in seeking guidance from various esteemed coaches, reports indicate that Zheng Jianping once knelt before Xu Liqiao, Li Na's coach at the provincial team, with his whole family and even had Zheng Qinwen recognize Xu Liqiao as her godmother. When he realized that the coach's training methods were no longer suitable, Zheng Jianping decisively changed coaches and even signed a performance-based contract with Zheng Qinwen's coach, Ribas.

"Sports is certainly not a shortcut; it is a much more difficult path," pointed out a sports observer. "From Gu Ailing to Zheng Qinwen, the sports world is divided into talent-based and money-based athletes. Tennis falls into the latter category, but regardless of which type, children will face numerous hardships."

"It is entirely possible to replicate Zheng Qinwen's success"—this statement exposes a serious misunderstanding among some parents regarding current sports education in China. Zheng Qinwen's success is a unique combination of talent, resources, family sacrifices, and personal traits; missing any one of these elements makes replication impossible. The attitude of China's former top female player, Li Na, may be more enlightening; even with a strong background, she "would not want her child to pursue sports, because this path is truly too tough."

The true meaning of sports lies in the growth and transcendence experienced during participation. Zheng Qinwen's reflections after the Olympic final highlight the essence of sportsmanship: victory is unique to her; besides being an Olympic champion, she has many dreams to realize one by one. However, how many parents are still trapped in the dream of "replicating Zheng Qinwen's miracle" and are unwilling to wake up?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)