customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

summary

updatedDate

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Mike Chan

Iga Swiatek has won the women’s singles at the past three French Opens and four of the last five, considered the “Queen of Clay”, she is only three off the record for most victories at Roland Garros.
Winning gold was supposed to be a foregone conclusion but, fresh from eliminating three-time grand slam-winner Angelique Kerber, China’s Zheng Qinwen put a stunning end to her run.
The 21-year-old, known as “Queen Wen”, powered to a 6-2, 7-5 win, to move within a victory of the gold medal.
But who is Chinese newest tennis star? Here is everything you need to know.
Biography

Born on October 8, 2002 in Hubei, Zheng was clearly destined for success, sharing the same birthplace, and when she was young the same coach, as the legendary Li Na.
Zheng came from a sporting family. Her father, Zheng Jianping, was a former athlete.
And her parents pushed her into sports as they believed that was the best solution for their “fat and often sick” daughter.
By the age of six, Zheng had tried table tennis, badminton and even basketball. Tennis didn’t even come into the frame until her dad took her to watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Zheng “fell in love” watching the Roger Federer.
“I chose tennis because I really liked the competition, especially the feeling of beating the opponent,” she told the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ahead of her Australian Open debut in 2022. “Of course when you lose you feel so sad, you feel so down, you feel the world is broken for you.
“But the competition is what I love most about tennis.”
On the move


It was Zheng’s father who became aware of his daughter’s talents and decided to send her away to further her training.
“If you want to go to Wuhan, we’ll try to find a better coach for you,” he told his then eight-year-old daughter.
The shy Shiyan native left home, gradually accepting that separation from her parents was part of the necessary sacrifice for an advanced tennis education.
On June 4, 2011, compatriot Li became the first Chinese player to win a grand slam singles title in Paris at the French Open.
More than 116 million people in China tuned in that day. One of them, of course, was Zheng and she said years later that seeing Li success on the famous Roland Garros court spurred her on.
“Li won her first grand slam, and I started thinking, ‘Oh, the Asian players can also do something in tennis. This is such an international sport’,” Zheng said last summer.
“I think that she put a little seed in my heart that I also want to do it. I want to try to be like her, you know, and even better.”
Three years later, Zheng was on the move again, this time to Beijing, where she trained with Carlos Rodriguez, who guided Li to her second major title at the 2014 Australian Open.

While Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Federer were all sources of inspiration for Zheng, it was the Swiss icon she truly looked up to.
“He [Federer] is a classic on the court and even now I still watch his videos,” Zheng said. “Of course, Djokovic and Nadal are amazing. I try to learn from them.”
Climbing the ladder
Zheng lives in Barcelona to train with Pere Riba, and has seen her ranking rocket through the years, from No 794 to world No 7.
She finally broke through in 2022, making the top 100 and reaching the main draw of all four majors. She beat former champion Simona Halep en route to the round of 16 at Roland Garros and even took a set off Swiatek.
A maiden WTA Final appearance followed in Tokyo that September and a month later, Zheng broke into the top 25 before being named WTA’s newcomer of the year.
Away from the tennis courts, Zheng prefers nature surrounding her training base rather than the bustling city life.
When she’s not competing, the Hangzhou Asian Games women’s singles gold medallist loves to sing, dance, read and brush up on a third language – picking up Spanish in recent years so she could understand what her team was talking about.












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by Zheng Qinwen (@zhengqinwen_tennis)



Zheng is also passionate about fashion and photography.
“I love pictures. I like to see how they turn out. They are memories to keep,” Zheng said. “We have a lot of different beauty. We have beauty on the tennis court, we show our power, to be strong, to fight a lot, and also on another side, to be beautiful as a person.
“It’s really important to improve as a person. My coach says if you are a good person, there are bigger chances that you can play good tennis.
“If you have good communication, that also can help you to work better on the court. When you’re a better person, you always make friends. I think that’s helped.”
If she keeps going in this fashion, she’ll have plenty more memorable moments to capture on film.


IOC’s complicated election rules could block Sebastian Coe’s bid to become president

Australia hockey star nets 12-month ban after attempted cocaine purchase at Paris Olympics

Diver Tom Daley calls for lifting of Olympic age rules, despite own ‘tough’ Beijing debut

Olympics, Paralympics were a success for Paris but a calamity for some of its businesses

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Who is China’s tennis star Zheng Qinwen? ‘Queen Wen’ a match away from Paris Olympic glory

China’s Zheng Qinwen has taken the women’s singles tennis event by storm at the Paris Olympics and is one win away from a gold medal. Photo: Xinhua

Zheng Qinwen stunned the tennis world when she overcame Iga Swiatek in Paris. Photo: Xinhua

Li Na’s 2011 triumph at Roland Garros acted as inspiration for Zheng Qinwen’s tennis career. Photo: EPA

Paris Olympics: Loh Kean Yew makes Singapore history, stuns China’s Li Shifeng in badminton

Loh Kean Yew has become an idol back home in Singapore after his victory over Li Shifeng in the badminton quarter-finals. Photo: Xinhua

Loh Kean Yew has gained an extra following in China to go with his new hero status in Singapore. Photo: Xinhua

Hong Kong triathlon needs to up its game after Olympic failure, says head coach

Hong Kong’s Jason Ng sits in a van after withdrawing during the men’s individual triathlon at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Xinhua

Jason Ng cycles alone during the bike leg of the men’s triathlon. Photo: Xinhua

Paris Olympics: who is Zhang Yufei, Chinese swimmer battling rivals, critics and fever?

Zhang Yufei on the podium for the third time at the Paris Games on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

Zhang Yufei enters the La Defense Arena as she prepares to race at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Xinhua

Zhang Yufei in full flight as she swims butterfly, the stroke for which she is renowned. Photo: AFP

Zhang Yufei leaves the pool after swimming in her 200m butterfly semi-final in Paris. Photo: Xinhua

Paris Olympics: after Cheung, Italy’s authorities target Imane Khelif as boxer quits fight

Algeria’s Imane Khelif (right) after her victory over Angela Carini (left), which sparked more anger in Italy. Photo: AP

While you were sleeping: 5 things to know after drama for Zhang and Fan at Paris Olympics

China’s Zhang Yufei swims in the final of the women’s 200m butterfly in Paris. Photo: AFP

Fan Zhendong of China is forced to scrap to stay in the table tennis men’s singles. Photo: Xinhua

Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee celebrate their medals in the women’s all-around final. Photo: Reuters

A tearful Andy Murray leaves Roland-Garros after his loss alongside Dan Evans. Photo: dpa

Sport

Tennis

Paris Olympics 2024

China

After beating ‘Queen of Clay’ Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, the 21-year-old is on the verge of history


After beating ‘Queen of Clay’ Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, the 21-year-old is on the verge of history.


Zheng Qinwen (鄭欽文)

Provide background, description and detail of a specific individual or entity, helping the reader understand more about their life, work and interests.


Profile

Profile | Who is China’s tennis star Zheng Qinwen? ‘Queen Wen’ a match away from Paris Olympic glory

After beating ‘Queen of Clay’ Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, the 21-year-old is on the verge of history

Biography