Zheng Qinwen is a Chinese tennis prodigy who’s just emerged from her first Olympic Games with a gold in the women’s singles. The 21-year-old ranked no.7 in the world, defeated world no.1 Iga Swiatek (from Poland) in the semi-finals – then claimed victory over world no.21 Donna Vekic (from Croatia) on 3 August.
The win made Zheng the first Asian gold medalist in the Olympic women’s singles category.
“Finally, I can say to my family, to my father, ‘Come on, I just made history,’” Zheng said in a press conference afterwards. Her proud dad has since told Xinhua that he believes his ambitious daughter has even “bigger dreams to accomplish in the future.”
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Twenty-four-time men’s grand slam champion Novak Djokovic also praised Zheng’s achievement, saying it was “huge for China and our sport.” The 37-year-old won gold for Serbia in Paris, describing his singles match as “probably the biggest sporting success I’ve ever had in my career”. Coming from Djokovic, that sentiment hammers home the significance of Zheng’s own Parisian performance.
Who is Zheng Qinwen? What’s her background in tennis?
Born on 8 October 2001 in Shiyan, Hubei province, Zheng was handed her first tennis racket when she was just seven. It was love at first sight. According to a New York Times profile on the athlete, she and her father travelled to Wuhan just two months later to show off her natural talent to professional coaches. They were impressed.
Zheng promptly relocated to Wuhan, without her parents, to begin training seriously. She wasn’t alone – her grandparents came along to take care of her – but she remembers crying often. Whenever Zheng’s parents visited Wuhan, she pleaded for them to stay.
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“It was really tough,” Zheng told Vogue. “My mom used to come visit on weekends. When she left, I would hold her leg and cry. When she was gone, I would always hold her jacket.” When Zheng turned 13, her mum quit her job in Shiyan and moved to Wuhan.
The young athlete trained under Carlos Rodriguez, an Argentinian who helped notable players former world no.1 Justine Henin (from Belgium) and former world no.2 Li Na (from China) reach their potential. At Rodriguez’ academy, at age 16, Zheng became known as one of the best junior players in the world.
How’s her pro career been progressing?
Zheng made her International Tennis Federation (ITF) debut in 2018, following it up by playing in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) series the following year. Near the end of 2021, Zheng broke into the top 150 women’s rankings for the first time. She entered the top 100 at the start of 2022 and went on to win that year’s WTA 125K event in Valencia, Spain.
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The rising star kept climbing the ranks. She ended 2022 ranked no. 27, with the WTA Newcomer of the Year award under her belt – and more than US$1 million in prize money to her name.
Things only got brighter in 2023, when she claimed her first main draw career title in the Palermo Ladies Open in 2023. “This is really special for me,” Zheng told WTA at the time. A second title soon followed, along with the 2023 WTA Most Improved Player award.
How has she fared this year?
Zheng achieved her career-high world no.7 ranking in January 2024. A decade after her compatriot, Li, made history as the Australian Open’s first Chinese winner, Zheng competed in her first Grand Slam final at this year’s event. But she lost to Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, ranked no.3.
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As you know, just last weekend, Zheng went on to (well and truly) make her comeback at the Paris Olympics.
Does Zheng have a tennis role model?
It seems she has two. In the lead up to the Paris Olympics, Zheng told Tennis Australia that Li was “one of the women who inspired me the most” and that the older tennis player “put those dream seeds inside me”.
“The day when Li Na won a Slam, I had a dream in my heart that I want to win a Grand Slam as well,” she continued. “And, this time, I’m fighting for my country … I always feel so honoured I have the chance to fight for China.”
In fact, there is a photo that’s gone viral of 12-year-old Zheng and other children watching Li make history at the Australian Open. Li, incidentally, was a semifinalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Zheng has also expressed deep admiration for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer. Federer won gold in the Beijing Olympics doubles, then silver in the 2012 London Olympics singles.
Speaking after her own gold medal win in Paris, Zheng said Federer had always been an “idol” for her. “I watched his videos. I studied his technique, his tactics, and his motions. It’s just that he’s too good.”
