A champion’s rebirth: Zheng Qinwen believes her best tennis is yet to come
Sometimes the road to the top goes not uphill but through deep chasms. Injuries, defeats, months of silence from the racquet – and suddenly the ranking plummets, doubts fill the mind. But a true champion is defined not by victories alone, but by the ability to rise from the ashes when all seems lost. Zheng Qinwen is proving that rebirth is possible if you keep believing that your peak has not yet arrived.
The Chinese Olympic champion produced another stunning comeback on Monday, fighting back from 0‑5 down to defeat eighth seed Iga Świątek of Poland 7‑5, 6‑3, securing her place in the quarter‑finals of the US Open women’s singles. In the previous round on Saturday, she had come back from 0‑5 in the deciding set to knock out local favourite Madison Keys. Yet due to injuries in recent years, Zheng currently sits at world No. 121 in the singles rankings.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Zheng spoke openly about the pain of her comeback, describing months of repeated losses and self‑doubt: “I think the process of self‑improvement was incredibly painful. Especially when I kept facing defeats – it wasn’t just one loss, then losing the next match too. I had to ask myself: ‘Why aren’t my efforts paying off?’ And then it all repeated again. I feel the last three or four months were the worst period of my career in terms of results. Even when I talk to myself, I find it hard to believe. Why did this happen? Maybe just because I was injured for so long and didn’t touch my racquet, so my muscle memory – whatever it is – took so long to recover? This really was the longest period I’ve been away from tennis, even since childhood. When I got injured before, the most I missed was maybe a month. But this time it was three or four months, maybe even five months, during which I hardly touched my racquet. So I often tell myself that this was a process of rebirth. Even now, looking back, I don’t really want to remember that period, because my parents and the team around me – we all went through many difficult conversations. That’s why these recent wins mean so much to me. They are incredibly uplifting. People used to say that 2024 would be my peak, but I always felt that by 2024 I hadn’t reached my peak yet, and the injury interrupted me. I believe my peak is still ahead.”
As reported by CCTV+, Zheng will now face second seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the quarter‑finals. Back‑to‑back comebacks from 0‑5 down in sets have become a powerful testament to the Chinese player’s return – a reminder that true character is forged in the toughest trials, even when the rankings say otherwise.
