T
Eight years prior, Li Na achieved the long-desired victory she had been striving for. Her initial victory at Roland Garros in 2011, which took the tennis world by surprise, became an iconic moment. The Australian Open, on the other hand, was a passion project for the trailblazing Chinese player. Despite facing two tough losses in previous finals, Li persisted and ultimately claimed the title she had always dreamed of in 2014.
Among the tens of millions of people in China who watched Li’s second triumph, one future star was transfixed. At 11 years old, Zheng Qinwen had already spent over three years of her life training in Wuhan, Li’s home city, a five-hour drive away from her hometown of Shiyan. She would spend her youth trying to retrace her idol’s footsteps; Zheng eventually headed to Beijing, where she trained under Li’s former coach, Carlos Rodriguez.
Last year, Zheng stated that Li Na’s success in tennis has greatly increased the sport’s popularity in China. Zheng also shared that Li Na’s achievements have inspired her to pursue her own dream of reaching similar heights.
This Saturday, Zheng has an opportunity to become the second Chinese player to win a grand slam singles title. She will be facing Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed, in her inaugural major final.
For a while now, it has been evident that the 21-year-old is an exceptional athlete. In 2022, she received the title of WTA newcomer of the year for climbing from beyond the top 100 to the top 30. In the previous year, she quickly became the WTA’s most improved player after reaching the top 15.
Zheng possesses a diverse and powerful arsenal of weapons. As a skilled athlete and agile player, she wields one of the most ferocious forehands on the professional circuit, capable of dismantling any defensive strategy with its formidable topspin. Despite some technical flaws and a lower success rate, Zheng’s serve is extremely effective when it connects, perfectly complementing her dominant forehand. While her topspin-heavy shots and long swings initially suited her for clay courts, Zheng is now proving to be just as successful on faster surfaces.
Although it seemed likely that Zheng would make a grand slam run, her path to her first final has been unusual. Due to many high-ranked players dropping out in the top half of the draw, she has had a relatively simple journey to the final, which is rare in the history of grand slam tournaments. Throughout her six matches in Melbourne, she has not had to face any players ranked in the top 50, and has only faced one opponent ranked in the top 75. The highest-ranked player she has played against was Katie Boulter, who is ranked No. 54, in the second round.
Zheng’s draw does not diminish the achievement of becoming a grand slam finalist and the 12th seed maintaining her composure while being heavily favoured to win every match has been impressive, but it is certainly not ideal preparation for the challenge and level that awaits her.
Ignore the advertisement for the newsletter.
after newsletter promotion
In the previous year, there was a significant turning point in Sabalenka’s career. Encouraged by the success of Iga Swiatek, she was able to gain control over her strength and emotions, resulting in consistently strong performances in tennis throughout the season. While her year was already impressive, her mental fragility in key tournaments prevented it from being even more successful.
Despite facing challenges, Sabalenka has shown impressive resilience. She consistently bounces back, even when faced with heartbreaking defeats that could have hindered her progress. In 2023, she narrowly missed out on the year-end No 1 ranking to Swiatek, despite leading the WTA race for most of the season. However, Sabalenka quickly regained her focus at the start of the following year.
No other player has been able to match the impressive performance of 25-year-old Belarusian in the last two weeks. Despite facing potential pressure as a second-year grand slam champion and defending titleholder, Sabalenka has played with confidence and dominated every opponent. However, it is uncertain if she can maintain this mindset and successfully finish the competition with a win.
For Zheng, the primary objective in her first final should just be to play with as few inhibitions as she can, and to see where her weapons and athleticism take her. It was a sentiment perfectly underlined by Li herself when the Chinese pair spoke to each other for the first time last week.
Li, who came back to Melbourne in honor of her 10-year milestone to participate in the legends’ tournament, pleasantly surprised the young player during an interview. When Zheng sought guidance from her more experienced counterpart, she received a straightforward reply: “Don’t overthink.”
Source: theguardian.com
