The international sports tourism event “2023 MGM Macau Tennis Masters”, presented by MGM and IMG with the support of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Sports Bureau, Macau Government Tourism Office and Macau Tennis Association, welcomed some of the world’s brightest tennis players to compete in Macau on December 2 and 3. In view of extending the unbeatable excitement of this one-of-a-kind tennis fiesta to the community, MGM organized an array of spin-off happenings across the city with the tennis masters. These vivid happenings aimed to highlight the appeal of the cross-sector integration of “Tourism + Sports”, which also helped to further elevate Macau as a world-class destination of elite sports events.

The top ranked tennis players made surprise appearances across local schools and tourist hotspots in town, followed by a master class tailored made for the young local tennis athletes. What is more, the tennis stars were also invited to learn lion dancing from MGM Junior Lion Dance Team in front of Macau’s cultural tourism landmark Barra, experiencing both the essences of Chinese traditions and Macau’s cultural offerings.

The 2-day competition was graced with the presences of four ATP players and two WTA players. The lineup of male players including Taylor Fritz, the American tennis player ranks World No. 10; Tallon Griekspoor, the burgeoning Dutch sensation ranks World No. 21; Borna Coric, the seasoned former World No. 12 from Croatia, and Zhang Zhizhen, China's reigning male tennis player. Former World No. 8, Daria Kasatkina, and the emerging star from China, Wang Xinyu, joined the lineup of female players.

Stellar tennis players interacted and played with crowds of tourists and students

Prior to the matches, MGM held two flashmobs with Tallon Griekspoor, Zhang Zhizhen and Wang Xinyu at the Pui Ching Middle School and Macau Anglican College to give the students an exciting after-school surprise. The three acclaimed players played a quick match with some of the students on campus, which gathered crowds of little tennis fans and ignited a spark of interest in the sport among them.

Chan, a student from Pui Ching Middle School, expressed his joy afterwards, “I am so thrilled to meet and play with such top-notch tennis players in my school, whom I can only see on TV when they play at international tournaments. This decent surprise has increased my interested in tennis and I am now more determined to become a professional athlete.”

On the other hand, MGM unprecedently transformed Macau’s top tourist hotspots Leal Senado Square and Ruin of St. Paul into a mini pop-up tennis court, and invited Taylor Fritz and Zhang Zhizhen to play and warm up for the matches ahead. The duo even invited residents and tourists to play a match with them, which has drawn a large crowd of spectators to watch and enthusiastically cheer for the impromptu game. The joyous vibe truly showcased Macau’s brand as a City of Events to visitors around the world.

Star-studded tennis master class for local young athletes

MGM and Macau Tennis Association jointly organized a master class, where Borna Coric and Daria Kasatkina were invited to instruct and play a practice match with a group of local young tennis players. During the sharing session, both of them encourage the young athletes to carry on and shine at a larger stage in the future.

Hoi, a student of Macau Tennis Association, said, “I started playing tennis since I was six years old, and it has already been seven years since then. I have never imagined that I could play a match with international professional players here in my hometown, which I was truly fascinated by their performance. Seeing how good they are as professional players has strengthened my goal of becoming a professional tennis player myself.”

Tennis X Lion Dance cross-cultural exchange

Leveraging this precious opportunity of welcoming world-class tennis players in town, MGM took Taylor Fritz, Zhang Zhizhen, Borna Coric and Tallon Griekspoor on a tour to Barra, where they also enjoyed a lively lion dance performance by MGM’s Junior Lion Dance Team in front of Macau’s most iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tour concluded with a lion dance tutorial hosted by the young lion dance masters, enabling these top-notch tennis players to experience Chinese traditional sports and immerse into a whole new cross-culture and cross-sector experience.

Tallon Griekspoor shared his impression after the visit. He said, “Off the court, I have been able to see and experience Macau during this first visit. It was pleasant to visit the oldest temple in Macau and immerse into the Chinese heritage with the energetic lion dance performance in front of the famous landmark. The best part definitely was dancing with the lion heads, which were surprisingly heavy, and we were amazed how the little kids could hold them and perform such fierce dance moves. There were so many fun and cultural-rich first times it this trip, which made it truly a memorable one.”

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