CRI听力:ATP Chief Chris Kermode Meets the Press at Shanghai Masters

The Shanghai Rolex Masters were awarded ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year for the past five years since 2009.

Impressed by the rapid changes in Shanghai over the years, ATP chief Chris Kermode says he believes the Shanghai tournament will continue to thrive.

"This event in particular is voted by the players as the best 1000 on the tour, which is a huge honor because players can be quite critical. It's a huge testament to what has been done here. I think the work that's being done behind the scenes is only going to continue to grow this event as a global event rather than just an Asian event."

With Chinese women players making more presence at international tournaments and climbing in the world rankings, more and more Chinese people are starting to pick up the rackets and are buying tickets to watch tennis matches.

The growing popularity of tennis in China has also seen the country hosting more high-level tournaments.

When asked how China can go further in terms of organizing such events, Kermode says that player-audience interaction is critical to the success of any tournaments.

"The key will be the interaction, making the fan experience more attractive to come to, so your day coming to the tennis is more than just watching a tennis match. All sport is doing it, and they do a great job here."

Besides bringing more world class tournaments to China, in recent years, the ATP is working hard to introduce more local games to Chinese players in a bid to nurture local talents.

But Chris Kermode says this is far from enough to create a home-grown icon.

"I've seen various countries where the players are supported so well that it's actually too comfortable. Again, it's balancing act. It's a bit like the challengers where you have to be hungry enough to get up to the next level. It's the same with development. I think if the whole infrastructure is in place, it's a numbers game at the end of the day."

Kermode says he expects more Chinese young talents to join the elite group of the players at the Shanghai Masters in the future.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen from Shanghai.