China’s Treatment of Tennis Star May Trigger Broader Consequences

Some 14 million people in China regularly play tennis. That’s almost one-quarter of the global total. Moreover, the number is growing by 15% each year, which means China represents the financial future of the sport.

Recognizing this, organizers of the season-ending Women’s Tennis Association tournament in Shenzhen put up $150 million in prize money, part of a 10-year deal, making the event the most lucrative on the tour. In short, tennis illustrates the hard calculus of markets and money that sucks global industry into China—on China’s terms.