Why US Open Rising Star Ben Shelton Competes with Cupping Marks: The Magic Behind the "Mysterious Eastern Force"

American tennis star Ben Shelton took to the court at the 2026 US Open wearing a sleeveless kit, with deep red circular marks clearly visible on his arm. British tabloid The Sun ran a story featuring the headline "The Red Marks on His Arm Are Amazing," igniting a flurry of curiosity among overseas fans. What were these mysterious rings? Some guessed bruises, others suspected a sudden rash, but viewers familiar with Chinese culture recognized them instantly: they were the unmistakable marks of cupping therapy.

Deep red circular cupping marks are clearly visible on Ben Shelton's arm. (Source: Tencent News)

From Wimbledon to Flushing Meadows: Shelton's "Eastern Marks"

Ranked ninth in the world, Shelton is no stranger to competing in Grand Slam tournaments bearing these cupping marks. As early as the 2023 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open, these circular impressions were already prominent on his left shoulder. During his quarter-final run at Wimbledon in 2025, broadcast commentators even paused to clarify for viewers: "Those marks aren't tattoos—they're from cupping, a technique often used by swimmers to draw blood flow to the skin's surface."

As The Sun highlighted, cupping is an ancient traditional Chinese therapy. By using heat or suction pumps to create a vacuum inside localized cups placed on the skin, negative pressure dilates and ruptures tiny subcutaneous capillaries, leaving distinct purplish-red circles. Shelton is just one of many elite athletes who swear by the practice. Having captured both ATP Masters 1000 and ATP 500 titles, cupping has become a staple in his routine for physical maintenance and recovery.

Cupping marks are clearly visible on Shelton's arm during a match. (Source: The Sun)

From Michael Phelps to Cristiano Ronaldo: A Global Roster of Cupping Converts

Shelton is hardly an outlier in adopting this ancient remedy. The surge of cupping in Western sports can be traced back to the 2016 Rio Olympics. When American swimming legend Michael Phelps stepped onto the blocks for the 4×100m freestyle relay, his back and shoulders were peppered with dark red circles, captivating global media. Phelps later shared in interviews: "I've been getting cupped for the past two or three years. I love it—it increases my flexibility, relieves muscle soreness, and has been hugely effective for my races." His coach had reportedly incorporated cupping into his regimen as early as the autumn of 2014.

Michael Phelps sporting cupping marks at the 2016 Rio Olympics. (Source: ABC News)

American gymnast Alex Naddour similarly took to social media to praise cupping as his "secret to staying healthy," noting that he bought his own DIY cupping kit online for around $15.

The trend soon swept through international football. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Croatian star Luka Modrić was photographed with circular marks across his back while changing on the training ground. At the 2026 World Cup, teammate Ivan Perišić was spotted with dark red rings peeking out from above his collar line, proving that cupping has evolved into a traditional recovery mainstay for the Croatian national squad.

Croatia celebrates a goal, revealing dark red cupping marks near Perišić's collar. (Source: Visual China Group)

NBA superstars are equally avid fans of the therapy: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have all been seen with cupping marks. Even Cristiano Ronaldo, famous for his hyper-strict physical preparation and recovery routine, has been snapped with the telltale circular impressions.

How the "Mysterious Eastern Force" Conquered Western Sports

Why has cupping gained such rapid traction across Western athletics? Analysts suggest that the 2016 Rio Games served as a global showcase, introducing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) techniques to a massive roster of international athletes. By utilizing negative pressure to enhance localized blood circulation, stimulate energy pathways, and alleviate deep-tissue muscle soreness, cupping offers professional athletes a non-pharmacological, non-invasive recovery solution ideal for enduring relentless training and competition cycles.

Academic research provides further scientific backing for the technique. A study on collegiate baseball players demonstrated that cupping helped improve post-exercise autonomic nervous system recovery and daytime physical functionality. Another systematic review noted that cupping offers potential benefits in pain management and range of motion for elite athletes.

From Shelton striding onto Wimbledon's grass courts with red rings on his arm, to Phelps sparking global intrigue at the Rio Olympics, to Croatian football stars displaying their cupping marks as a team tradition—what started as an ancient Chinese healing art has transformed into a universal "recovery language" among the world's elite athletes.

For these competitors, the appeal of cupping lies not in the exotic label of "Traditional Chinese Medicine," but in a simple reality: it helps their bodies feel better and recover faster. When a treatment speaks through tangible performance, cultural boundaries naturally fade—offering perhaps the most authentic and persuasive example of Chinamaxxing on the global sporting stage.

Chinamaxxing

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For some Hong Kong moviegoers, impressions of mainland Chinese cinema might still be anchored in the sweeping combat of The Battle at Lake Changjin or the sci-fi spectacle of The Wandering Earth. Yet between 2025 and 2026, a fresh "New Wave" composed of heartwarming slice-of-life films, mythological animation, and martial-arts epics is storming global theaters in a strikingly different fashion. No longer reliant solely on grand national narratives, these films are quietly redefining how Chinese cinema "goes global" through local emotional resonance, Eastern aesthetics, and genre innovation.

Dear You: How a Local Chaoshan Story Conquered Asia

In 2026, the heartwarming realist drama Dear You (《給阿嬤的情書》) became a landmark case study for Chinese cinema's overseas expansion. Rooted in the rural culture of Chaoshan and telling a story of nostalgia and familial ties among the Nanyang (Southeast Asian) Chinese diaspora, the film grossed over 2 billion RMB at the mainland box office and surpassed 100 million RMB overseas.

Using Hong Kong and Macau as its launchpad for international distribution, the film was jointly released by six major Hong Kong distributors. It grossed a combined HK$22.63 million across Hong Kong and Macau with 395,000 admissions—becoming the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in Hong Kong for 2026 and ranking third on Hong Kong's all-time mainland film box-office chart. In Singapore, the film accumulated 3.851 million SGD (equivalent to 20.34 million RMB), topping the weekly box-office charts. In Malaysia and Brunei, cumulative earnings crossed RM20.64 million (equivalent to 34.29 million RMB), making it the highest-grossing mainland Chinese live-action film in Malaysian box-office history.

Dear You grossed over 2 billion RMB, moving audiences at home and abroad. (Source: Baidu Baike)

Foreign critics noted that the film won over international audiences "through its authentic and tender storytelling," staying grounded in local life while showcasing Chinese culture. A regional story about a Chaoshan grandmother and her Southeast Asian relatives resonated across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam because it tapped into a universal emotion shared by the Chinese diaspora: nostalgia and family love. This strategy—taking root locally to move cross-cultural audiences—offers a powerful new roadmap for Chinese cinema going global.

From Ne Zha 2 to Welcome to the Dragon Restaurant: Diverse Genres Flourish

If Dear You demonstrates the global appeal of realist storytelling, Ne Zha 2 showcases the explosive international power of Eastern mythological animation. Released during the 2025 Chinese New Year season, the animated blockbuster not only set a staggering mainland record of over 15.4 billion RMB, but also delivered extraordinary overseas results—raking in more than $69 million globally, the highest overseas box-office performance on record for a purely mainland-produced film.

The film achieved an unprecedented distribution footprint, screening or securing theatrical releases in 70 countries—a dramatic jump from the 9 countries reached by its predecessor. In North America, it opened in 945 theaters and earned 20.97million,makingitthetop−grossinginternationalfilminNorthAmericaforthefirsthalfoftheyear.InSoutheastAsia,itbrokeChinese−languagebox−officerecordsinSingapore,Malaysia,andThailand—earningRM22millioninMalaysiawithinjustsixdaystobecomethecountry′shighest−grossingChinesefilm.InHongKong,cumulativeboxofficeshatteredHK50 million, claiming the top spot on Hong Kong’s all-time mainland film chart. China's iconic mythic figure Nezha is "stirring up the seas" in a whole new fashion, stunning the world once again with Eastern aesthetics.

Ne Zha 2 tops China’s all-time box office chart. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)

Wuxia action cinema also enjoyed a major resurgence abroad. During the 2026 Chinese New Year period, Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert—directed by Yuen Woo-ping and starring Wu Jing and Nicholas Tse—was released simultaneously across multiple countries and regions. Embodying the Eastern chivalric spirit (xia) and traditional martial arts, the film crossed $200 million in global box office, climbing to second place on the all-time global wuxia box-office chart, trailing only Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert was released simultaneously across multiple global markets. (Source: Baidu Baike)

More recently, Welcome to the Dragon Restaurant, a unique blend of anti-war narrative and culinary culture, tackled major geopolitical events in the Middle East through a Chinese lens paired with a global perspective. The film received an enthusiastic reception during international promotional tours, leading local theater chains to compete for import rights. Released sequentially across Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan since September, distribution plans for North America, Europe, and the Middle East are also underway.

Welcome to the Dragon Restaurant sparks widespread discussion overseas. (Source: Baidu Baike)

From Exporting Content to Exporting Systems

Chinese cinema's journey abroad is shifting from mere "content exports" toward "systemic global integration." Ying Xujun, President of CMC Pictures, noted that international co-productions have become a major trend. By leveraging a model of "Chinese leadership + international resources," this new era of Chinese cinema is marked by internationalized storytelling, industrialized production, and localized distribution.

At the narrative level, a new generation of Chinese directors is expanding their horizons. No longer confined to "Chinese stories strictly for Chinese contexts," they are placing Chinese characters directly into international settings to build emotional resonance with global audiences.

This shift is quietly rewriting the landscape of Chinese-language cinema. Twenty years ago, Hong Kong filmmakers brought their expertise and star power "North" in co-productions to tap into the mainland market. Today, mainland-produced films are bringing high industrial standards and Eastern narratives "South" to Hong Kong—and onward to the world. When a tender Chaoshan story like Dear You can move audiences across Asia, and when Chinese animation can break into mainstream North American theaters with Eastern aesthetics, it proves one thing: Chinese cinema is learning to tell its own stories in a language the whole world can understand.