By+staff+reporter+ZHU+HONG

AT the 2014 U.S. Open Ten- nis Championships， Chinese player Peng Shuai competed in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament， the third Chinese female athlete to do so after Li Na and Zheng Jie.

As a professional tennis player for more than a decade， Peng has made the huge breakthrough into Grand Slam tennis， maturing from a talented newcomer to a seasoned player with an impressive record in both womens singles and doubles. “For all those past events that have brought me to tears， after this one day I can talk about them with a smile，” Peng said during the post-match interview.

“All great players have to endure adversity. Effort and diligence are essential qualities for athletes，” said her coach Ma Weikai. “It has not been easy for Peng Shuai to make it this far.”

Chinas Rising Star

Since the first time she picked up a racquet and ball， Peng was regarded as a gifted girl. At the age of eight， she started to learn tennis from her uncle， a former player in the China National Tennis Team. Under her uncles guidance， Pengs tennis skills improved rapidly. In 1996， aged 10， she won the national youth championships. Three years later， she became the champion of the International Tennis Federations junior tournament. Insiders believed that tall， skilled and strong Peng， bearing a striking resemblance to Western players in style and build， embodied great prospects for Chinas tennis to go global.

The talented player was soon recruited by the Tianjin Tennis Team.Later， the 13-year-old was sent to the U.S. for further training and spent a year at a tennis school founded by American tennis legend Chris Evert. “As a Chinese saying goes， newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. I just packed up and went to the U.S. armed only with an electronic dictionary，” said Peng， who had always dreamed of becoming a champion.

At the age of 19， Peng reached the semi-final of the Sydney International after defeating ace opponents such as Anastasia Myskina and Nadia Petrova. In the same year， she again entered the top four in the Acura Classic after winning against famous players such as Kim Clijsters and Dinara Safina. Sponsored by IMG， a global leader in sports， fashion and media， Peng became Chinas first female player jointly promoted by the Chinese Tennis Association （CTA） and an overseas brokerage agency to compete in the international professional tennis arena. The official Womens Tennis Association （WTA） website described the 19-year-old as “Chinas rising star.”

Never Give Up

Pengs journey to the top has not been problem-free. Because she did not take the womens singles crown at the 2005 National Games， her sponsor， Tianjin Sports Bureau， withdrew their investment. Unable to pay her coaches wages Peng was effectively benched. She could only join the national team for competitions， but worse still， lost her personal technical coach and fitness coach.

Therefore， Peng requested the sports authority to relax these restrictions to enable her to be an entirely professional player， decide the allocation of bonuses， select coaches and matches. This resulted in a stalemate between Peng and the national team. Peng even rejected international competitions the national team applied to on her behalf. Some speculated that she might retire. Fortunately， Peng finally decided to return to the team. But past friction blurred her focus on training and play- ing， and her performance and ranking dropped sharply.

During her early years， Peng beat a number of top-10 players， but struggled to make a significant breakthrough in womens singles tennis， losing match points， missing championships altogether and frequently changing coach. Peng attended 37 Grand Slam tournaments – a feat that would take any other players at least 10 years. Tennis players who qualify for a Grand Slam are among the top players in the world. However， if a ranking player consistently fails to reach the final eight， it is just another big torment.

In the face of failure， Peng never slows her pace and keeps her eyes ahead. As a teenager， she was admitted to hospital for heart surgery to repair a defect. But health issues did not deter her from playing tennis. Years of train- ing and playing have taken their toll， but the veteran player still strives to win.

“I will smile at others sarcasm， because I know my own story. I will smile humbly at others success， because I know myself well. And I will smile joyfully at others pressure on me， because I see my future.” This is how Peng reminds herself to “always look ahead.”

Be Stronger

Peng has developed a tough mentality through all these trials and tribulations. When people thought that the “talented newcomer” had come down in the world， Peng was spurred into action， competing in womens doubles tournaments. She and Hsieh Su-wei from Taiwan won the Womens Doubles at Wimbledon in July 2013， ascending to the WTA World No. 1 doubles ranking the same year and creating the best record among Asian players. In June 2014， Peng and Hsieh won their second Grand Slam title together in the final of the French Open.

Her success in womens doubles helped Peng to regain confidence. As if waking from a dream， Peng took on her former coach， adjusted her attitude and gradually refocused on womens singles. When she did not play well early this year， she traveled to Tibet to take a break. A Tibetan friend advised her to think about why she wanted to play tennis in the first place.“Regardless of the difficulties or frustrations you meet， you should think about your initial intention， and then you feel peaceful，” said Peng. “For me， I enjoy the game and so Im doing what I like.”

After reaching the semi-final of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships， Peng finally revealed her ultimate dream – to win a Grand Slam.

Years of experience help the 28-yearold to become more focused. “Tennis is a tough game. My experience has taught me to enjoy it，” said Peng. “I trust tennis to give me confidence and courage. Of course， it also brings me pain； but I must say that on the whole， tennis enriches my life.”