Rod Laver Arena once again witnessed a Chinese player reaching the Australian Open women's singles final. On January 25, 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen became the second Chinese female tennis player to advance to a Grand Slam singles final.
The last time a Chinese player stood on the Australian Open final stage was exactly a decade ago. On January 25, 2014, 31-year-old Li Na made history as the first Asian player to win the Australian Open singles.
Ten years ago, when Li Na won the Australian Open, Zheng was watching in front of a television.
"Li Na is my idol. I will never forget her match at the Australian Open; it's her who planted the seeds of dreams in my heart," said Zheng, stating that she has watched that match at least ten times.
The magical timeline added a touch of legend to this decade-spanning "inheritance," as two athletes from Hubei completed a symbolic "passing of the torch" at this year's Australian Open. Zheng and Li shared similarities in their paths of growth, though they exist in different eras. Zheng has been immersed in professional and international training from a young age, aligning her training system with international standards and setting clear goals, laying the foundation for her early success.
From a young age, Zheng has been characterized by a strong desire for aggression on the court. Xie Chun, the head coach of the Wuhan tennis team, mentioned that Zheng had a strong attacking inclination since the age of eight or nine. During her training at a tennis school in the United States, Zheng earned the nickname "Fire".
Later on, Zheng joined a tennis school in Beijing and was coached by Carlos Rodriguez for four years. Rodriguez had previously coached Li and helped her win the 2014 Australian Open.
In the year and a half since August 2020, Zheng Qinwen has participated in nearly 30 tournaments, indicating that she had almost no rest during this period. Within just over two years of fully transitioning to WTA events, Zheng Qinwen has secured tour championships, reached Grand Slam finals, and become the second Chinese player to enter the world's top ten. Remarkably, she has achieved all of this at the young age of 21.
In the eyes of Zheng Qinwen's father Zheng Jianping, the most significant traits in Zheng Qinwen are "independence, confidence and self-discipline."
"We have never set goals for Qinwen. We hope that she works hard for the goals she sets for herself, rather than being driven by parental pressure," he said.
Holding the silver platter, Zheng could hardly hide her regret after losing to Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Sabalenka told her, "You are still very young, and one day you will win your own championship." And Li offered simple yet profound advice to the younger player: "Don't overthink it."■
