Wang Fa was photographed carrying his rackets in a bamboo basket at the 2022 ASICS Tennis Junior Tour in Guangzhou in late August, at which he won the U14 boys’ singles title. Bamboo baskets are an iconic product of Wang’s hometown. Photo: Li Jianyi

Wang plays at the Guangzhou stop of the 2022 ASICS Tennis Junior Tour. Wang comes from a remote mountainous area in Southwest China’s Yunnan province. He was selected to receive professional tennis training at the age of eight due to his endurance and explosive power. Photo: Li Jianyi

On the left, Wang performs a between-the-legs shot during his practice. On the right, Wang cheers after winning a match when he was 12. Zhang Xiaohong, founder of the Wild Elephant Tennis Club in Yunnan, selected 10 promising children from Wang’s county in 2016 and taught them tennis for free. Photo: Li Jianyi

Wang and his teammate Xiao Zhuan made it into the top four at the test event of Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) Tour in 2020. On the right, Wang’s coaches comfort him after he lost a game at the CTA Tour. Photo: Li Jianyi

Wang comes from the Wa ethnic group in Cangyuan Wa autonomous county, Yunnan. He said his dream is to play professional tennis. Photo: Li Jianyi

The tennis balls that have been damaged at the Wild Elephant Tennis Club. Wang gets up at 6.30 every morning, does physical exercise, including swinging his racket more than 7,000 times and running 9 kilometers every day. At night, he takes academic courses. Photo: Li Jianyi

Wang take photos with China’s two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na (left) at the final of the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) Tour in 2020. Photo: Li Jianyi

Wang’s six-year-old younger brother Wang Yi hits a ball. Wang Yi has followed in his elder brother’s footsteps, starting to learn tennis at the club from October this year. Photo: Li Jianyi

A group photo of Wang and relatives. Cangyuan is mainly inhabited by ethnic Wa people. Bordering Myanmar, the county has a population of more than 40,000 and was officially declared as no longer impoverished in 2019. Photo: Li Jianyi

A group photo of Yunnan Wild Elephant Tennis Club in July 2020. Starting from this year, this club will add 20 fully funded tennis junior spots each year, according to Zhang. Photo: Li Jianyi