Qinwen Zheng's Diva Behavior at WTA Finals Goes Viral

Qinwen Zheng's behavior after losing to Coco Gauff in the WTA Finals is garnering attention.

Qinwen Zheng is getting attention for her behavior at the WTA Finals. / Danielle Parhizkaran-Imagn Images

On Saturday afternoon, Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng faced off in a historic finals match at the WTA Finals. The two young trailblazers battled for almost three hours in a marathon match that left tennis fans enthralled.

While Gauff won the title and slammed her critics on social media after the match, Zheng is garnering more attention. The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakout season but earned a reputation for questionable sportsmanship.

While none of Zheng's individual actions were flagrant, they did not help her image of being a sore loser. However, fans are celebrating her diva behavior.

The tennis reporter and digital content creator known as Christian's Court created an amazing Instagram video of Zheng's post-match reactions that is taking off on social media.

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A post shared by Christian’s Court (@christianscourt)

In the video, we can see Zheng giving one of her famously weak post-match handshakes, sitting with her arms crossed and standing with her hands on her hips while barely acknowledging everything else around her.

It feels like there has been a 360-degree shift in public opinion among tennis fans on Zheng's behavior over the past year. Before she became an international sports star, she was mostly known by casual tennis fans for her candid interviews and great karaoke skills.

Fans immediately took her side when Emma Navarro called her out at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, then concluded that she sometimes lacked sportsmanship, and now are celebrating her ferocity.

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A post shared by Zheng Qinwen (@zhengqinwen_tennis)

Zheng is a trailblazer in the sport. She is the first Chinese woman to reach the final match of the WTA Finals since Li Na in 2013. Additionally, she is the first Chinese player, man or woman, to win 50 matches in a single season.

Zheng finished her season with a record of 41-16 and two singles titles, including an Olympic gold medal. Best of all, she has proven to have the talent and personality to be a face of the sport for a long time to come.

Sometimes, the sport needs a villain, and Zheng is not afraid of rubbing her rivals the wrong way because they are rivals, not friends, according to the budding superstar. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

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