In 2025, the news that badminton legend Lin Dan and his wife Xie Xingfang will send their 8-year-old son to the Nadal Tennis Academy in Spain for training has sparked heated discussions. This choice not only broke the public's expectation that the "second generation of Yu" would inherit his father's business, but also reflected the in-depth consideration of the career planning of their children by the families of Chinese sports stars. In fact, Lin Dan is not alone - the "second generation" of football legend Shang Yi and table tennis world champion Wu Na's son Shang Juncheng, diving champion Tian Liang's daughter Tian Yucheng, and swimming star Qian Hong's daughter have all chosen tennis as their development direction. Behind this phenomenon, there is not only the educational wisdom of individual families, but also the huge gap between the projects within the system and the professionalization movement.

The growth trajectory of Lin Dan's son Xiao Yu can be called a typical sample of the transformation of the "second generation". Although both parents are badminton world champions, Lin Dan and his wife chose tennis for their son, a decision that involved multiple considerations. As the winner of the "Double Grand Slam" in the badminton world, Lin Dan's achievements have become an insurmountable peak, and if Xiao Yu chooses badminton, he will inevitably face direct comparison with his father, and this pressure may stifle his self-confidence. Lin Dan said frankly: "I don't want my son to have a 'second generation' halo." As a new field, tennis provides Xiao Yu with "zero baggage" growth space. Although badminton is highly popular in China, it is far less professional than tennis in the world. Lin Dan once recalled that when he attended the Laureus Awards in 2012, he was snubbed, "A lot of people didn't even know who I was. "In contrast, singles champions in the four major tennis tournaments have millions of dollars in prize money, and top players can earn more than 100 million dollars a year. Lin Dan said bluntly: "Tennis has a lot of bonuses and more opportunities for professionalism. In addition, the Nadal Tennis Academy, where Xiao Yu attended, is located in Spain, with an annual tuition fee of 400,000 yuan, but it offers a top coaching team and a global competitive environment. This kind of early international training helps to accumulate practical experience in the professional arena, while the domestic badminton youth training system relies more on closed training and has a limited degree of internationalization. The huge gap between badminton and tennis made Lin Dan choose a more suitable path for Xiao Yu.

The rise of Shang Juncheng further confirms the attraction of tennis to the "second generation of sports". The 19-year-old rising star has a father of former national footballer Shang Yi and a mother of table tennis world champion Wu Na, but he has chosen a very different path from his parents. In 2024, Shang Juncheng won the ATP Chengdu Open, becoming the youngest Chinese men's tennis tournament champion, and his success highlights the unique advantages of tennis as a professional sport.

Shang Yi once reflected on the plight of football: "Even if you perform well, if the other players can't cooperate, your efforts can't change the result." "Tennis is an individual event, and players have full control over the course of the game, avoiding the constraints of the "barrel effect" in team events. This independence is especially suited to well-resourced "second generations" who have access to top-notch training resources through family commitment, without being tied to the overall level of the team. Secondly, tennis has a globally unified ranking system (ATP/WTA), a well-established junior tournament system (ITF) and a highly market-oriented business operation. Shang Juncheng began systematic training at the age of 5, went to the United States at the age of 11 to enter the Sanchez Tennis School, and became the junior world No. 1 at the age of 16. On the other hand, in the system (such as football and badminton), youth training often relies on the selection of local sports schools, which is difficult to transform professionally and has a low degree of marketization. Finally, tennis is seen globally as an "elite sport", and its cosmopolitan image is closely linked to the middle-class lifestyle. Tian Liang's daughter Tian Yucheng was admitted to Stanford University through tennis training, and Qian Hong's daughter was selected for the NCAA tennis varsity team, both of which reflect the added value of the program at the educational and social levels. This composite path of "sports + education" provides a broader life choice for the "second generation".

The choices of Lin Dan, Shang Yi and other fathers are not only the rational planning of individual families, but also a silent criticism of China's sports ecology. When more and more "second-generation" people vote for tennis with their feet, only by accelerating the professionalization process of the projects in the system can they avoid becoming a "lost track" in the global competition. After all, the true charm of sports is not to continue the glory of the family, but to provide a stage for each individual to bloom.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Xiaodi)