2024 WTA Player of the Year Countdown, No. 3: Zheng Qinwen

2024, by the Numbers

• 50-18: Overall win-loss record
• 12-4: Grand Slam win-loss record (AO R-Up, RG 3R, W 1R, USO QF)
• 3: Titles (Palermo, Paris Olympics, Tokyo)
• 3: Runner-ups (Australian Open, Wuhan, WTA Finals)
• 5: Year-end ranking

The Story of the Season

At Roland Garros this year, Zheng Qinwen shared with me, “After the Australian Open, I had a lot of up and downs in myself. I will try to come back to my normal stage.”

If normal was what Zheng was shooting for, by year end’s she far exceeded that benchmark. The Shiyan, China native’s 2024 season was bolstered by a breakout run at the Australian Open, but it was what Zheng put together in the second half of the year that confirmed her place among the WTA’s elite.

At the Paris Olympics, Zheng saved match points against Emma Navarro and scored a maiden win over Iga Swiatek on her way to capturing the gold medal. During the Asian swing, a Beijing semifinal run and Wuhan final-round effort were backed up by a triumphant finish in Tokyo. At the WTA Finals, the No. 7 seed served for the crown before Coco Gauff clawed back to win.

When all was said and done, Zheng reached 50 wins on the season and took another big step forward, following her 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year and 2023 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year awards with a nomination for 2024 WTA Player of the Year.—Matt Fitzgerald

What’s to Come in 2025?

Zheng, who was touted as a future Top Tenner in her teens, probably took one year longer to have her breakout season than most experts predicted. But she made up for that delay in 2024. She won Olympic gold for China, made her first major final at the Australian Open, nearly won the WTA Finals, and jumped from No. 14 to No. 5. With her explosive mix of power and athleticism, it’s hard to see any ceilings ahead for the 22-year-old.

That’s partly because there don’t seem to be any ceilings to Zheng’s ambition. She says she’s not on tour to make friends, and she acts as if she can, and eventually will, beat every opponent she faces. In 2024, that included Iga Swiatek for the first time.

To keep rising, though, she needs to be more consistent against the WTA’s rank and file, too. After making the final in Melbourne in January, Zheng didn’t reach another semifinal until July. She understands now how every loss makes your opponents fear you a little less.

“Maybe one, two, three tournament you let yourself down, you don’t play serious, then suddenly all the respect is gone,” she says.

Zheng played well when she was motivated—at the start of the year, at the Olympics, and during the Asian swing. In 2025, she’ll need to maintain that intensity and professionalism for longer stretches, and to schedule her year so she peaks for all four majors, rather than just one.—Steve Tignor