On October 5, during the women’s singles semifinals at the 2024 China Open in Beijing, Zheng Qinwen faced a challenging match against Czech player Marketa Vondrousova. In a critical moment, she unfortunately fell while trying to make a save, injuring her finger. Ultimately, she lost the match with a score of 0-2, ending her hopes of reaching the final.
In the first set of the match, Zheng fell in the sixth game due to an effort to return a difficult shot. Despite her injury, she fought valiantly, losing 3-6, 4-6 against last year’s French Open runner-up. Her emotional response was palpable, as she was seen crying on the court after the fall.
During a medical timeout, fans noticed her red eyes as she took painkillers before returning to finish the match. Afterward, she reflected on her performance with a critical eye, acknowledging that she didn’t feel physically or mentally at her peak due to recent health issues. “I know I can do better,” she admitted.
Zheng’s journey over the past couple of months has been a rollercoaster of emotions. From tears of joy after her historic win at the Paris Olympics to the disappointment of her recent performance in Beijing, the context of her tears has shifted.
Looking forward to the Paris Olympics, she faced consecutive defeats at the French Open and Wimbledon. “The most important lesson I’ve learned is the necessity of patience,” she said. “You can have great power, but you need to know when to use it. The best players aren’t always the strongest or the fastest; it’s about making the right choices at the right time and not striving for perfection.”
At the Paris Olympics, Zheng faced extreme temperatures above 30°C while playing three intense matches over two days, ultimately winning the first Olympic gold medal in tennis singles for an Asian player. Following that achievement, she encountered more challenges at the US Open, winning two more matches in dramatic fashion, even battling until 2 a.m. during the fourth round to match her best-ever performance at that tournament.
At the China Open held at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, she demonstrated her resilience by rallying from behind to defeat both Amanda Anisimova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. With those victories, she found success in the latter half of the year despite tougher competition.
“I realize that sometimes when I step onto the court, I may not be at my best. The key is finding ways to win instead of blaming the conditions,” she said. After earlier losses, she emphasized her shift in focus from technical mistakes to concentrating on each individual point, which she believes is crucial for any top athlete who rarely performs perfectly throughout a year. Adapting accordingly when not in peak form has marked her progress.
The China Open was a significant milestone for Zheng, as she reached the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career. Since the China Open’s elevation to a 1000-level tournament in 2009, she became the third local player, following Li Na and Wang Qiang, to advance to the women’s singles semifinals. However, with her defeat, a spot in the year-end finals remains just out of reach.
“After the Australian Open, I struggled with consistency. Now, I feel a bit of urgency to secure my place in the finals. I need to ensure I’m performing at my best,” she concluded, reflecting on her year so far. Maintaining composure and stability after achieving success and facing setbacks has become her focal point.
Zheng views the disappointment from the China Open as motivation moving forward, as she prepares for the Wuhan Open. “I will take it match by match, focusing on recovering physically and mentally to showcase my true abilities,” she asserted.
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