As mayor of Beijing for most of the period running up to the 2008 Olympics and now Vice Premier of China with responsibility for financial and economic affairs, Wang Qishan has been a very busy man over the last few years.

He has, however, made time to indulge his passion for tennis and been highly influential in the growth of the China Open tournament, now one of the top events in women’s tennis with ambitions of becoming an Asian major.

Wang also likes to take to the court, and who can blame him when he is offered the chance to trade forehands with some of the best women in the professional game?

“I know for a fact he’s played many of our (women) players behind closed doors, as have many members of the standing committee,” Beijing-based WTA President David Shoemaker revealed during an interview with Reuters this week.

“It’s often been boasted that that’s one of the rare opportunities outside of one of the standing committee meetings, where you get three or four of the members together.

“But when you get Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva and Serena Williams eager to have a hit with you, it can mobilise forces pretty quickly.”

Even as Vice Premier, Wang is not senior enough to take a place in the nine-strong Politburo Standing Committee, the highest decision-making body in China.  

PHOTO: Maria Sharapova in Beijing in 2005 by Jason Lee.

On the day of the men’s singles gold medal match between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Gonzalez, Ossian Shine of Reuters leafs through the record books … so that you don’t have to.

Roger Federer came to Beijing hoping for a singles gold medal to ease the pain of losing the last two major finals and his number one ranking to Rafa Nadal.

Tennis at the Olympics may rank far below the Grand Slams but considering he has not won one of those this year a gold medal would still have served very nicely, thanks very much.

Sadly for the Swiss, he lost 6-4 7-6 to James Blake in the quarter-finals on Thursday, a miserable day all round given the rain that was falling.

The Williams sisters also went out, double Olympic champion Venus beaten 7-5 7-5 by China’s Li Na and Serena losing to Elena Dementieva.

Away from the tennis, Michael Phelps was for once not the story. Alain Bernard of France won the men’s 100m freestyle in the Water Cube, while there was a nasty incident when a Swedish wrestler tossed away his bronze medal in disgust at the refereeing that cost him a shot at gold.

Otherwise, it was a golden day for Asia, as Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima completed a breaststroke double double and Chinese gymnast Yang Wei ended eight years of hurt in the men’s individual all-round event.

For story of the day and picture of the day, look a bit further down the page. Quote of the day? Nothing great, so I thought I’d give you a joke of the day instead. This was overheard in the Athletes Village:

“Are you a pole vaulter?”
 
“No, I am German, but how did you know my name is Walter?”

Goodnight.

* You can read the Olympic desk’s pick of day six here.

PHOTO: Roger Federer reacts during his defeat by James Blake of the U.S. in the mens’s singles tennis quarterfinals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 14, 2008. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard