THE Shanghai Rolex Masters, Asia's only ATP Masters 1000 tournament, is ready to serve up some high-voltage action this week, delighting hard-core and casual tennis fans alike, Bivash Mukherjee and Xu Wei write.

With the Shanghai Rolex Masters upon us, it is time to dust off the racquets on the wall. Tennis fever is here and it's hard not to spot the wannabe Federers and Nadals smashing a few forehands and smacking some slice backhands with consummate ease.

While the devotees of the game can expect the best from the 99 rounds of play between the top 44 ranked players in the world, there is a lot more in line for fans this time at the state-of-the-art Qizhong Tennis Center in Minhang District.

For starters, ticket prices cover an entire range - from 30 yuan (US$4.48) to 1,580 yuan - with the 30 yuan Ground Pass allowing access to all matches outside Center Court.

"Besides the top 5 or 8 ranked players, all the other big names in the sport will be out there sometime in the open," says Michael Luevano, co-tournament director of the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Center Court will stage four singles matches and one doubles match each day, "so two thirds of the total 99 matches at this tournament will be held on outside courts, including the Grand Stand Court," Luevano adds.

For the first time, a Chinese player, Lu Yen-Hsun of Chinese Taipei, has qualified automatically for the main draw. Lu is currently ranked No. 43 in the world and the top 44 players qualify automatically for Asia's only ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

"He is fantastic, you know, he is a relatively young player," says Luevano. "He can be a national hero for the Chinese people, and also, his progress is great and inspiring for Chinese tennis. We're hopeful that there will be more excellent Chinese mainland players in the near future."

There is more.

Holders of World Expo tickets can get the Ground Pass for 15 yuan. Now that surely would have John McEnroe quipping: "You cannot be serious!"

But it is.

While the American tennis legend isn't expected to be in Shanghai, Luevano talked up the other sideshows at the venue °?- and they are plenty.

"For one, we have new Retail and Hospitality pavilions. They are permanent new structures, which effectively mean the days of those giant-sized tents are gone," Luevano says with all the excitement of a beginner.

The two-storied Retail Pavilion can accommodate more than 40 shops and sponsor displays, while the Hospitality Pavilion, stretching over 8,000 square meters, can seat more than 3,000 people - perfect for any entertainment and some fine dining.

"We will have bands playing regularly or some sort of live entertainment throughout the day to liven up the atmosphere besides the regular autograph sessions with players for fans," says Luevano.

And as if wanting to lead by example - Luevano intends to take time off from his routine stuff to rock with his own expat band "Studio 188" this Friday.

On to the more serious stuff: With the 2009 edition walking away with the ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year Award in its debut year, the bar has already been set higher.

"The award gives us the bragging rights ? We have set a new benchmark for ourselves and the others," says Luevano with a tremendous sense of satisfaction.



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The award, voted on by the players, is just another ace for the organizers after the immensely successful five-year run of the Shanghai Masters Cup. It will be a tough task to maintain that standard after last year's recognition, but Shanghai is gearing up to meet the high level of expectations.

"Qizhong's player lounges are probably the best in the world - on par with any of the grand slams. And I have it on record from one of the players ?," Luevano says. "We have one of the finest players lounge here. The top eight singles (players) and two top doubles seeds are provided with private locker rooms; they also have music rooms to relax. Their dining is taken care of by a Michelin-star chef - unique on any Tour. One of the top players told me that our food service is better than at any of the grand slams.

"More importantly, we treat all our players equally, and not just in terms of rankings ? whether it's a singles or doubles player, all of them enjoy the same benefits."

The ATP Masters 1000 series features the most prestigious tournaments in men's tennis after the four Grand Slams and understandably attract the sport's top names, who slog it out for coveted world rankings points.

Shanghai is the only city in Asia to host a 1000 series tournament. It thus stands out as the flagship event on the ATP's Asian calendar. Besides the one in Shanghai, North America and Europe each host four tournaments, culminating in the year-ending World Tour Finals in London with the top eight ranked players.

Last year, the first edition of this tournament proved to be a huge success. It attracted more than 100,000 people and was voted by the players as the ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year. This is also the first ATP tournament at the highest level to be awarded this prestigious trophy in its inaugural year.

To recognize the excellence of the tournament, Rolex announced in March an upgrade to its sponsorship, becoming the Title Sponsor of the event. The 2010 edition is now known as the "Shanghai Rolex Masters."

In the past decade, tennis has become more popular in the city. In Luevano's eyes, tennis is a fashionable, trendy sport that suits Shanghai. Nowadays, many residential complexes include a tennis court. The tradition of racket sports in the country also enables Chinese people to understand tennis very easily.

"Tennis has a very unique appeal," Luevano adds. "It is a sport for a life time, accessible to people of all ages. Actually you can start playing tennis when you're five, or even when you're 50. Many sports can't say that. As Chinese people are also family-oriented, this family sport can provide great fun when you play with your wife and children."

Attracting people to the tournament is just part of Luevano and his team's efforts to nurture public interest in the sport. They have kid programs. More and more children start tennis from a very young age. A few years later, they may compete on the ATP tour.

"Tennis is a fast growing sport in China, but it still needs more work, effort and attention to develop, such as more coaching, more television, and more broadcasts of the tennis players," he adds.

This year's champion can also expect to be lined up permanently on the tennis center's Walk of Champions in a terracotta warrior robe right next to past champions - Lleyton Hewitt (2002), David Nalbandian (2005), Roger Federer (2006, 2007), Novak Djokovic (2008) and Nikolay Davydenko (2009).

But prior to that, expect the Nadals and the Federers and Murrays and Roddicks to fire down aces and mop up those killer shots. In any case, with the World Expo 2010 also drawing to a conclusion on October 31, there is one sure winner - Shanghai.

Shanghai Rolex Masters

Date: through October 17

Venue: Shanghai Qizhong Tennis Center, 5500 Yuanjiang Rd

Tickets: 30 yuan-1,580 yuan

Tel: 962-123