Passing the torch, the YONEX stringing team is proudly supporting the Wuhan Open for the sixth consecutive year.

The 2025 Wuhan Open is currently underway with great intensity, and today will see the decisive championship match. In this peak showdown among top contenders, every subtle shift on the court can affect the course and final result of the competition. For players, reliable rackets and stringing services are essential.

Since the inaugural Wuhan Open, the YONEX stringing team provided official stringing services from 2014 to 2017; last year, with the tournament’s return to the WTA Tour, the partnership was renewed to offer the world’s top female players the most dependable stringing support.

Renowned stringer Cai Jiandong, who has served at major events like the Australian Open, Olympics, and Shanghai Rolex Masters, joined the YONEX stringing team in 2016. At this Wuhan Open, he leads a strong team of eight stringers as the head and trainer, providing official stringing services. Cai summarized the racket stringing workload at this event: “Up to yesterday (quarterfinals in singles), we have strung over 850 rackets, and expect to exceed 900 by the end. Our busiest day saw us string about 150 rackets.”

On the day of the women's singles quarterfinals, the YONEX stringing team expedited stringing for several players preparing to compete. Before her match, Lyubakina brought her racket to the stringing room, where the team had to have it ready before she stepped on court. Regarding the rapport between stringers and player teams, Cai admitted: “There are actually very few stringers worldwide qualified for professional matches. Those who come to these events are highly experienced. We interact with these players at every tournament, so we have long developed a good understanding with them and know each player well.”

“All the communication and adjustments have been settled in other tournaments beforehand. Each player is like a ‘regular customer’; we know exactly what special treatments their rackets and strings require.” Cai revealed that one player temporarily reduced her racket tension to 10 kilograms during this event, possibly due to the hot weather in Wuhan. Such a bold decision also reflects the player's complete trust in the stringing team.

As a seven-day WTA 1000-level tournament, Wuhan’s schedule is tighter compared to other events of the same tier. From the stringers’ perspective, Cai prefers longer tournament schedules. “During the short, busy days, the workload is especially heavy. At peak times, we might string an average of 30 rackets per machine daily, or even more. But players don’t bring their rackets from morning; they usually come after matches end in the evening, so during that period, we are extremely busy.”

According to Cai, since 2023 YONEX has implemented a new generation stringer training program, continuously introducing fresh talent into the team who gradually become its backbone. “Many young people have joined recently, and I find them very capable. We can take breaks and give them opportunities. They are actually excellent; sometimes they even surpass us professionally, though we have more experience.”

This legacy represents not only the transfer of stringing techniques and skills but also the continuation of YONEX stringing team’s spirit of craftsmanship—pursuing excellence with speed and quality. “I’m the oldest stringer, so I’ve mostly been stationed in Shanghai, while others rotate between Shanghai and Wuhan,” Cai said. He firmly believes that the ability to serve professional tournaments can only be developed through extensive experience. Therefore, this year he proactively appointed a younger stringer as team leader in Shanghai, aiming to nurture more young stringers who can grow and independently handle events while he remains active on the front line.

The YONEX China stringing team is the largest single-country tennis tournament stringing team worldwide. The new generation stringer training program has started to bear fruit, with many newcomers maturing into mainstays for professional events. Through a comprehensive and rigorous training and promotion system, YONEX rates stringers based on their performance during long tournaments. Currently, there are about 80 YONEX tennis stringers at S2 level or above, nearly half of whom serve players at various levels during the China season.

According to Cai Jiandong’s incomplete statistics, among the 56 players in the women’s singles main draw at this Wuhan Open, 20 use YONEX rackets and 18 use YONEX strings, ranking among the top brands. Players like Pegula, Paolini, Lyubakina, and Keys are increasingly competing with YONEX equipment and achieving excellent results.

“Chinese tennis is progressing, the tournaments are advancing, and so is our team,” Cai Jiandong wrote in an update on his personal social media. The YONEX stringing team continues to grow and will keep developing more skilled and experienced professional stringers to provide stronger support for the growth of tennis in China.