Juncheng Shang’s Racquet – Player Profile

Updated 22 September 2026
Juncheng Shang is one of the more promising players from China on the ATP Tour, with a career high rank of 47. But what is Juncheng Shang’s racquet?

Juncheng Shang’s Racquet

Juncheng Shang is only 21 years old, and I got some questions about his racquet after his previous rise in the rankings. It’s a rare one to see on the ATP Tour.

Juncheng Shang’s racquet is the Babolat Pure Drive 98 (click the link for my review)—the more control-oriented option of Babolat’s popular powerhouse.  You can tell by looking at the red grommet strip in the pictures.

He uses what looks like Babolat RPM Hurricane, a classic among Babolat strings and a bit softer than the popular RPM Blast.

I don’t know if he customizes his racquet in any way (it might not be necessary as the swing weight of the Pure Drive 98 is pretty high) and what tension he uses, but if you have any of this information, let me know in the comments below or via Instagram).

The Pure Drive 98 is a firm and powerful racquet, especially for being a 98 sq inch racquet. It is the update to the Pure Drive VS , and we deemed it a significant improvement here at Tennisnerd. Still, it’s quite firm and players struggling with tennis elbow, might need to think twice before using this stiff racquet.

Going for a softer string and/or lower tension is usually the way to go for these firmer racquets.

Juncheng “Jerry” Shang (born February 2, 2005) is the son of former footballer Shang Yi and former table tennis player Wu Na, he rose rapidly through the junior ranks before establishing himself on the ATP Tour.

Career Highlights

• Junior World No. 1: Shang reached the No. 1 position in the ITF junior rankings in July 2021 and was named the 2021 ITF Junior World Champion. That year, he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the final of the US Open Boys Singles, where he lost to Daniel Rincón.
• Challenger breakthrough (2022): He won his first ATP Challenger title at Lexington, Kentucky, at age 17 years and 6 months, becoming the youngest Chinese player to win a Challenger title. He was also the youngest Challenger champion of the 2022 season.
• Indian Wells milestone (2022): Shang qualified for the Indian Wells main draw, becoming the first Chinese man to play in the Indian Wells main draw and the first player from China to qualify for an ATP Masters 1000 event.
• Career-high ranking: He reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of World No. 47 on October 21, 2024.
• Grand Slam breakthrough: In 2024, Shang reached the third round of both the Australian Open and US Open, matching his best Grand Slam result at the time. He became the first Chinese man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open third round.
• First ATP title: In September 2024, Shang won his maiden ATP Tour title at the Chengdu Open, defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final. He became only the second Chinese man to win an ATP Tour singles title.

What’s in the future of Juncheng Shang?

Shang has all the shots and moves well. He doesn’t seem fazed by playing higher-ranked players. The potential is significant. One issue could be the height as 180 cm is on the shorter side of the ATP Tour and will affects serve and reach a bit. But he compensates by being an ultra-fast mover and solid returner.