Dreams come true for Qinwen Zheng at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Every professional athlete dreams of certain goals since childhood, dreams that push you through tough days to keep going. In the case of Qinwen Zheng, that desire was the Olympics, which she has been able to fulfill at Paris 2024 for the first time at the age of 21. However, no one has stopped her from suffering until reaching the quarter-finals of the individual draw, where she will fight for a medal and give her country an unforgettable day. In a chat with the WTA, the Chinese player explains how excited she feels to be at a unique event, one she dreamed of being in someday.
«I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, the Olympics have always been one of my childhood dreams,» says the tennis player from Shiyan. «I really want to do something great for China. I’ve always loved the pressure, the pressure that only tennis can give you. When you win a tournament, you feel happier because you are a champion, and that is very hard to achieve. It’s something everyone wants, everyone fights for. I will fight to the end here, even if I have to break myself, this event only happens every four years, so I will give it my all for the Olympics,» explains the current world No.7.
Curiously, this tournament comes after two completely different experiences. First, being eliminated in her debut at Wimbledon, with the pain that always comes from leaving a Grand Slam without victories. That wound would heal days later at the WTA 250 in Palermo, where the Asian tennis player pulled out her best tricks to retain her crown in Italy and increase her individual trophy count to three. Between these two memories, the Chinese player has been building her path to Paris, the most important event on her calendar.
«In Wimbledon, unfortunately, things weren’t as good as they are now, I think I caught some virus there. It was a tough moment for me, but I admit that my first-round opponent was also playing very well. I tried to fight at all times, but I couldn’t escape from that match, it was just bad luck that it happened at that moment. Tennis is like that, the only thing you can do is keep working and wait for your moment, when an opportunity arises, and try to seize it,» emphasized the pupil of Pere Riba.
FOCUSED ON THE MEDAL
Advancing through rounds against Sara Errani, Arantxa Rus, and Emma Navarro, the latter saving a 7-6 and 5-3 that seemed impossible to turn around, the Chinese player knows that she is getting closer to the goal every day, the dream of winning a medal that will make her enter the history books. Even if she has to avoid some distractions that always appear in the Olympic Village, where athletes share their anecdotes with their compatriots or with tennis players from other nations.
«I’m not thinking too much about it either, I just focus on enjoying on the court, savoring every moment and competing. The Olympics are a very important event, and I want to give it my all. I don’t want the pressure to stop me. I want everything to be normal, to be able to give 100% of myself. I consider myself a kind person, but when I compete, I become a different person, and I can’t make friends. On non-competition days, I become another athlete, and then I try to share my stories and listen to others, exchange different perspectives,» Qinwen values.