Gone are the days when China's last Emperor played tennis in a courtyard of the Forbidden City under the guidance of his English tutor, Reginald Johnston. Or the era when Communist Party leaders would trade volleys with diplomats at the best court in Beijing in the members-only International Club.

Now the prowess of diminutive Zheng Jie has transfixed tens of millions of Chinese by becoming their first player to reach the Wimbledon women’s semi-finals and her success could fuel an interest in a game long seen as only for the elite.

"All she's missing is an Olympic gold," read a headline in Titan Sport newspaper. The Beijing Youth Daily crowed: "China's golden flower expected to bloom at the Olympics."

The small but sturdy and swift player and her doubles partner, Yan Zi, will compete in the Beijing Olympics next month and the hopes of their fellow countrymen will be high after her extraordinary performance at Wimbledon. Picked as a wild card and ranked 133rd in the world, the 24-year-old had never been expected to get so far in the tournament.

China has a weak record when it comes to tennis, a sport that is still little-known in a country where courts are in short supply.

A Sichuan provincial tennis official, Lin Yu, says that the game is no longer regarded as purely the realm of the ruling classes, but the space required for a court means that few schools can afford such a luxury. “Now that China is becoming more prosperous, tennis is more popular among ordinary people — especially since Zheng Jie and Yan Zi have been named as our golden flowers.”

The cost of raquets still places the sport far beyond the means of average Chinese and there are too few coaches to train would-be players. Nevertheless, more universities are building courts as are the smart new apartment buildings springing up in big cities.

Mr Lin thinks that Ms Zheng — born and trained in Sichuan — could help to change all that. “I have received so many calls of congratulation on Zheng Jie’s performance. And many parents have even called and asked if their children can attend classes. So this could be very effective in popularising this sport,” he said.

And, quoting, Chairman Mao. “This could be the spark that sets alight the pastures.”

Tennis fans were voicing their delight in online chatrooms. On the popular sina.com, one even highlighted the poor performance of the stars of football — China’s most popular sport. He wrote: “This is too cool! I can hardly express my emotion. But let’s take some of the funds from the football team and invest in women’s tennis.”

There is still some way to go.