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Zheng Qinwen, China's new tennis star with a heartbreaking backstory and a big forehand

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Zheng Qinwen has reached her first Grand Slam final. In fact, she is the first person from China to do so in ten years.

Zheng grew up watching the last Chinese Grand Slam winner, Li Na, and says she watched the 2014 Australian Open final “at least ten times.” If you've been on tennis social media, you've undoubtedly come across the image of Zheng watching Li win a decade ago, fascinated by her performance. Tennis in China was expected to boom as a result.

It took until now for that to start bearing fruit.

A viral video this week saw Li Zheng sneak in mid-interview and greet her like you would your best friend — with a slap on the butt. Zheng says that they had barely met before this tournament. It's not every day that you not only meet your idol, but also become friends with him.

But before you go any further, stop and read this piece by Matt Futterman. It is the heartbreaking story of Zheng Qinwen's childhood when, as a seven-year-old, she was taken to Wuhan by her father to demonstrate her talent to a higher-level coach.

The most important detail her father kept from her? She would stay there.

He wouldn't.

What else should you know about her?

Australian Open trip

The end of Zheng's 2023 season was cut short by the return of Naomi Osaka. Wim Fissette had been her coach and key to her rise up the rankings in 2023, reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open before being stopped by one Aryna Sabalenka, her opponent for Saturday's final.

Osaka's return to the sport after the birth of her first child, Shai, marked a reunion with Fissette. Zheng was devastated. “I don't want to say anything about Wim Fissette,” she told reporters earlier this week.

That prompted Zheng to do the same and reunite with coach Pere Riba, who was alongside Coco Gauff during her success at the 2023 US Open.

Zheng's route to the final was without any major hurdles. Not once did she play against someone from the top 50. Her highest-ranked opponent was the British Katie Boulter (54). That said, she spent more than 11 hours in court.

This creates a bit of a problem when analyzing Zheng's game, as she has not been tested by anyone even close to her ranking at this Grand Slam.

Playing style

Gliding and stretching across the court, Zheng uses her entire 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) frame to reach the ball and fizz a back forehand, often cutting on the long diagonal. As a result, she has racked up 165 winners in the last two weeks. This is a skill noted by Sabalenka, who said after her semi-final victory: “I think her forehand (Zheng) is her best shot. It's quite heavy.

The new player in the top 10 of the rankings also really tests the length of the field, hitting the lines, leaving little room for error.

In addition to that powerful forehand, her serve is one to watch. She has 48 aces and counts for the tournament, the best in the women's draw. Sabalenka, on the other hand, is in third place and has half of that total.


Zheng Qinwen celebrates victory against Dayana Yastremska in the semi-finals (Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images)

The main battle she faces is thinking too much. “I think I was just thinking too much at the beginning of the first set… That's one of my problems, of course,” she said after her quarter-final. “So when I lost the first set straight away, I tried to tell myself, 'Stay focused. Don't think too much. Now just concentrate. ''

Zheng says Li made a similar comment to her: “It's very simple advice: don't think too much.”

Expect Rod Laver Arena to be filled with cries of “jiayou”, which means “vamos” in Mandarin, on Saturday as Zheng looks to emulate her idol and win at Melbourne Park.

Zheng is excited to reach the finals. Someone just reminds her not to think about it.

(Top photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

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