Serve On SI

Qinwen Zheng reunites with her coach before Indian Wells

Qinwen Zheng has reunited with Pere Riba before the start of Indian Wells.

Pat Benson

Qinwen Zheng has reunited with her coach after he underwent hip surgery.
Qinwen Zheng has reunited with her coach after he underwent hip surgery. / IMAGO / Naushad

Last year was a breakout season for Qinwen Zheng. The Chinese tennis superstar started the season with a run to the 2024 Australian Open finals and ended in the title match at the WTA Finals.

Best of all, Zheng won a gold medal in women's singles at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The 22-year-old finished the year as the WTA World No. 5 with a record of 50-18 and three singles titles.

However, Zheng's season got off to an inauspicious start when her coach was sidelined due to a hip surgery. Zheng's coach, Pere Riba, has been on the mend since the start of the 2025 season, which has not been as king to Zheng.

The World No. 8 is 1-3 and has only advanced beyond the first round in one of her three tournaments (the Australian Open).

To further complicate matters, Zheng has played and practiced with an elbow sleeve on her right arm. It could be what is causing her struggles with serving.

While Riba was out, Dante Bottini joined Zheng's coaching staff in an interim position. Bottini had previously coached Kei Nishikori. The Argentine coached Nishikori for nine years after linking up at the IMG Academy.

Meanwhile, Riba coached Zheng Qinwen from 2021 until the Summer of 2023. During their time apart, Riba coached Coco Gauff during her amazing run late in 2023. Zheng hired Riba again in December 2023.

The 2025 BNP Paribas Open is scheduled for March 2-16, 2025. The main draw will take place on Monday, March 3.

Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

More Tennis News

Emma Raducanu hires an interim coach before Indian Wells.

The ATX Open serves as a Texas-sized opportunity for WTA stars.

The WTA unveils its bold new logo. Here is why it matters.

Naomi Osaka wants to win Wimbledon and the French Open.

Venus Williams never accepted Indian Wells wildcard: "I'm not playing."

Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

Home/News