Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen recently fulfilled a major milestone in her young career by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games. As she prepares to compete at the US Open, Zheng opened up about her goals and the emotional rollercoaster she has experienced since her Olympic victory.
During a press conference in Cincinnati, Zheng, currently ranked seventh in the WTA, shared her thoughts on the significance of her Olympic achievement. She revealed that her gold medal has already been sent back to China, per her father’s request. “It is already in China. When I called my father, he told me: give the medal to your manager. We want the medal to come back to China,” Zheng stated.
Despite the monumental accomplishment, Zheng expressed a desire to be recognized simply by her name rather than her Olympic title. “Call me Qinwen,” she remarked with a laugh, adding, “The gold medal can’t stay forever.”
However, Zheng’s journey post-Olympics has not been without challenges. She faced an early exit in the round of 16 at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. Reflecting on her performance, Zheng acknowledged the difficulties she encountered, including fatigue and jetlag.
“I feel very happy, but the schedule has been very intense for me. I didn’t have many days to rest and I came here with jetlag and everything but, of course, that’s the life of tennis. The first three days, when I woke up, I thought: Wow, this is amazing! But now I think I’m back to reality,” she admitted.
Zheng’s path to Olympic gold was marked by a series of impressive victories, including wins over notable players such as Emma Navarro, Angelique Kerber, and world number one Iga Swiatek. In the final, she showcased her exceptional form by defeating Croatian player Donna Vekic with a decisive 6-2, 6-3 victory. This triumph followed her title win in Palermo just weeks earlier.
As Zheng prepares for the US Open, she remains focused on maintaining her momentum and achieving further success in her tennis career.
Qinwen Zheng in 2024
Ranked world no.7 (career-high), Qinwen played her last match on the 16th of August when she overcame world no.43 Magdalena Frech 6-1 7-5 in the 2nd round in Cincinnati (draw).
During this season Zheng achieved a compiled 33-13 win-loss record. Qinwen has won 2 titles in 2024 in Palermo and Paris. Zheng got to the final at the Australian Open.
Qinwen Zheng will play the world no.219 Alice Tubello in the quarter. They have never competed against each other so far on the main tour.
The Chinese clinched 2 titles in 2024 in Palermo and Paris. Qinwen got to the final at the Australian Open.
Zheng won 4 titles in her career: 1 on hard courts and 3 on clay courts. (See the list of her titles)
Qinwen Zheng |
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