Queenwen 2.0? "More accepting" Zheng Qinwen ready for Paris Olympics spotlight

PARIS—“I feel I'm a really confused person,” laughs Zheng Qinwen, as she pokes fun at herself during a sit-down interview inside the media center at Roland Garros.

“There are some days I can really express myself and be able to listen to everyone. But there are some days when I like to close myself, just listen what I'm feeling, what I'm thinking.”

The 2024 season has taken the 21-year-old on a journey of emotions. In January, at the Australian Open, she became the second Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final. She finished runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka, but over the next two Grand Slam events, the now Top 10 contender was tripped up by opponents ranked No. 70 and No. 132, respectively.

Then, last weekend, Zheng successfully defended a title for the first time in her career, when she outclassed Karolina Muchova at the Palermo Ladies Open.

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As she returns to Paris for a momentous opportunity, Zheng is taking every high and low from the year in stride with an evolved sense of calmness.

“Right now, I'm more accepting. There's nothing perfect,” she shares. “Even on a tennis court, the shot doesn't always go where you like. The opponent doesn't play (how) you expect that they play. The crowd also acts different than what you are thinking.”

Zheng, is of course, back in the City of Light for the world’s biggest sporting event: the Olympic Games. The WTA No. 7 leads her nation’s contingent that also includes Wang Xinyu, Wang Xiyu, Yuan Yue and United Cup teammate Zhang Zhizhen.

This is not unfamiliar territory. Last September, Zheng shined under a meaningful spotlight for China in Hangzhou for the Asian Games. Carrying the weight of expectations as the most prominent face of the tennis competitors, Zheng beautifully rose to the occasion, capping her week with a gold medal over countrywoman Zhu Lin.

She accomplished this with former coach Wim Fissette ending their collaboration following her run to the US Open quarterfinals. Little did the Shiyan native know the blessing that 180-degree turn would serve in the self-empowerment department. For while there was incredible fulfillment in the title run itself, learning just how far Zheng's inner strength could take her meant even more.

“At the Asian Games, I had a lot of pressure because I'm seeded number one. Everybody think I got to be the champion. There's talks in the final, I'll win as well,” Zheng reflected. “My team wasn't there. I was almost playing by myself. So actually, I improved a lot as a person. I figured out a lot of things by myself.”

Just over two weeks later, Zheng collected her first WTA 500 trophy. Unseeded at the Zhengzhou Open, the home favorite knocked off Maria Sakkari, Jasmine Paolini and Barbora Krejcikova—even more impressive, in retrospect—en route to her second title of the season.

By December Zheng had reunited with Pere Riba, the coach who helped guide her into a WTA threat from the start of 2021 through 2023 Roland Garros.

“I always feels more safe to talk with my parents. But also I have a lot of confidence, a lot of trust in my team members,” she says. “I feel free to talk everything with them.”

At the Asian Games, I had a lot of pressure because I'm seeded number one... My team wasn't there. I was almost playing by myself. So actually, I improved a lot as a person. I figured out a lot of things by myself. Zheng Qinwen

Talking freely is one act. Playing with freedom is another, and that challenge is taken to a new dimension on the Olympic stage. The spectacle brings together the best in the business all competing for something greater than themselves, creating an unmatched energy that tests the boundaries of athletic mental fortitude.

Recently highlighted in Nike’s “Winning isn’t for everyone—am I a bad person?” campaign alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Sha’Carri Richardson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alexia Putellas, Serena Williams and LeBron James, Zheng will be seeded sixth in her debut appearance.

“I always say the pressure will be different, because when you play for your country, you always want more,” believes Zheng. “When we play the normal tournaments, if you lost, you just lose for yourself. Nobody around is going to say too much.”

Acknowledging how much it means to have the backing of her nation, “Queenwen” will no doubt lean into her progressed acceptance approach to embrace the stakes at hand.

“It's important for me to manage the pressure there. Just try to be chilled, relaxed and play the best I can.”