Zhu's tennis trip serves up good news

Chinese volleyball ace Zhu Ting appears to be well on the road to recovery from wrist surgery after she was pictured enjoying a day out at tennis' ATP Barcelona Open this week.

Earlier this month, Zhu updated fans by posting four pictures of her right wrist in various stages of repair following surgery to fix a problem which blighted her Tokyo Olympics campaign.

On Tuesday, six new photos posted on Zhu's Weibo account, showing the superstar spiker smiling and looking relaxed at the Spanish tournament, gave the impression that the healing process is continuing without any issues.

The 27-year-old revealed she has resumed some light training, and was enjoying her time at the men's tennis tourney.

"There's a really nice vibe here. I'm here just to watch and enjoy. I really like the atmosphere of this tournament, it kind of feels like a festival. I saw many parents taking their children here to just walk around and enjoy. It's so nice," Zhu, who wore a band on her right wrist in Barcelona, told media.

"In a way, tennis and volleyball are very similar, as they are both court sports. And some skills that the players use are very similar.

"Right now I have started some basic physical training. Sometimes, my coaches use the same training methods used by tennis players as examples to tell me what to do. So I really like tennis."

Zhu hurt her right wrist back in 2017, but the problem flared up again at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. Playing through the pain, Zhu struggled to find her best form and defending champion Team China crashed out at the group stage－the country's worst performance in the Olympic women's volleyball tournament since its debut at the 1984 Games.

However, Zhu is determined to put that Tokyo setback behind her and return to peak form. She is taking inspiration from a tennis legend in that regard.

"My favorite tennis player is Rafael Nadal. Firstly, because he has overcome so many injury challenges to get back to best, time and time again," said Zhu.

"And, secondly, because of his total dedication on the court. Age appears to be no limitation for him and he just keeps trying, which is really inspiring to me. When I'm fully recovered, I hope to get a chance to give tennis a try myself."

Zhu and fellow veteran Zhang Changning were among the absentees from a national team training squad announced last week which will prepare for the upcoming FIVB Women's World Championship and the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in September.

There is still no timeline for Zhu's return to the national lineup, but new head coach Cai Bin has indicated his rebuild of the squad will involve Zhu and new blood.

"We want to assemble players from different age groups when forming the new national team so that the young players can be tested and mature," said Bin, who took over from legendary coach Lang Ping.

"We've also considered recruiting players who are at the midpoint in their careers who have potential as well as experienced veterans. But the door is always open for newcomers."