HONG KONG - WIMBLEDON semi-finalist Zheng Jie said on Monday China could boast the top women's player in just five years' time as the game takes off in the world's most populous nation.

'There are a lot of people playing tennis in China now. I think that after five years maybe we'll have the best player in the world from China,' Zheng said.

In reaching the last four at Wimbledon, the world number 24 became the first Chinese player to get to a Grand Slam singles semi-final. Her run included a win over top seed Ana Ivanovic.

'After Wimbledon I came back and everyone was saying congratulations,' said Zheng, who is taking part in Hong Kong's World Team Challenge ahead of this month's Australian Open.

'I was just so happy. That semi-final gave me more confidence and more belief that I can play the best players in the world and I can get better and better.'

Zheng, who has won three tour singles titles and 11 doubles titles, including the 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles trophies, said she wanted to concentrate more on singles this year and had been working hard on her fitness.

'The most important thing I feel is I need more fitness because the Asia players, we are so small. I need to get stronger and more powerful so I am working so hard on my fitness,' she said.

China currently boasts three players in the women's top 100, including Li Na, at 28, who reached the semi-finals of the Olympics and the fourth round of the US Open.

But the country's top men's player is ranked 539 and China, with a population of more than 1.3 billion people, has just eight men's players in the world's top 1,000.

Tennis legend Roger Federer said in November that a male Chinese star would be a huge boost to the game across Asia and he hoped one would emerge in the next decade.

The World Team Challenge, which runs from January 7-10, features four teams representing Europe, Russia, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.

The Australian Open, the season's opening Grand Slam, starts on January 19. -- AFP