Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, living the dream in Miami. I’m super excited to share some awesome news with you all about an incredible journey of a young tennis star, Zheng Qinwen.
Zheng Qinwen made quite a confession to Chinese reporters in Beijing, telling them she “did not take some tournaments seriously” following her Australian Open success. This revelation highlights the challenges many professional tennis players face in maintaining their competitive edge throughout the season. Despite her impressive run at Melbourne Park, where she made her maiden Grand Slam final, Zheng struggled with consistency in the months that followed. Her campaigns at the WTA 1000 level ended early, but she has since lifted her form, winning a WTA 250 tournament in Palermo and becoming an Olympic champion in Paris.
Zheng is currently ninth on the Race to the WTA Finals list with 3,070 points collected this year. With Danielle Collins injured and skipping Beijing, Zheng is well-positioned to make the season-ending tournament in Riyadh. She emphasizes that she is determined to do much better in Beijing and Wuhan, as she needs good points from these tournaments to book her first WTA Finals ticket.
“I did well in Australia. But after that, I wasn’t very steady. Now I find it a little bit challenging going into the Finals. Indeed, I need good points from these two tournaments. I was asking my team, Why do you make me so anxious right now? I know I’m feeling the pressure going into the Finals. I have to make sure that I play well here,” Zheng said during her press conference in Beijing.
After making all the headlines in China during her Australian Open run and drawing very positive attention to herself, Zheng elevated her fame to a new level after impressively winning a gold medal in her first Olympic appearance. Asked if something felt different now that she has more recognition, Zheng admitted that she noticed way more people knowing her now than before.
“Coming back to China I see more people recognizing me. When I was at the airport, people wouldn’t recognize me if they’re not interested in tennis. My fame was only within the tennis circle. But now when I go to a restaurant, people ask me for autographs. I feel the impact. I feel a sense of responsibility now here in China,” the two-time WTA champion explained.
In the last 50 days, Zheng appeared in only two tournaments – she lost in the Cincinnati round-of-16 before being a US Open quarterfinalist. While players usually complain about being tired and exhausted at this part of the year, Zheng claims she is feeling as well as ever and noted that she had the Asian swing circled in her calendar.
“I can just tell you like this. After the US Open, the first thing that came to my mind was the China tour – the China Open and the Wuhan Open. People start to get tired at the end of the season. For me it’s different. I’m really motivated to come play in China in front of my people. I know they’re going to support me. I feel right now I’m quite fresh for all those tournaments ’cause I have big expectations ’cause last year for Asia Games I was not able to prepare well in China Open. But this year I had a good preparation. I really want to see how it goes,” Zheng explained.
Zheng is set to battle against 71st-ranked Rakhimova for the first time in Beijing. Considering what she said in her presser, there is no doubt that Zheng will be looking to start with a statement win.
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