|
LONDON, Aug. 8-- International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty said on Wednesday that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which opened exactly 10 years ago, is a "great example" of converting an Olympic venue to the home of another sporting event. "I have been to the Olympic stadium in Beijing where the [China Open] tennis tournament is today," he said of the National Tennis Center in north Beijing's Olympic Park. "It is a great example of being able to go back and utilise it in an event. " Haggerty, who was elected ITF president in 2017, told Xinhua that Rafael Nadal's epic victory in the men's singles final, and that of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in the men's doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, have helped inspired the growth of tennis in China. "Even today Nadal and Federer are still the top two players in the world," he said. "So it was great and I think it also inspired sport in China, and it inspired tennis for sure. I think that tennis has grown in participation and interest because of the Olympic Games and the legacy it left behind." Haggerty, who used to be President of the USTA Board of Directors and Chairman of the US Open, said the proposed revamp of the Davis Cup would further boost the development of tennis in China. "The Davis Cup will be very important for China. If the World Group expands, it will give China the opportunity to compete. And one day the Davis Cup final could be hosted in China." | 
