Serve On SI

Qinwen Zheng Reveals Why She's Not Friends With WTA Rivals

Qinwen Zheng provides reasoning for her frosty relationships on the WTA Tour.

Pat Benson

Aug 16, 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the net with Qinwen Zheng of China after their match on day five of the Cincinnati Open.
Aug 16, 2024; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the net with Qinwen Zheng of China after their match on day five of the Cincinnati Open. / Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

WTA World No. 7 Qinwen Zheng is not worried about making friends on the tour. The 22-year-old has enjoyed the best year of her career, which included a historic gold medal victory at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

However, with new fame comes more scrutiny. Zheng has drawn criticism for her frosty handshakes at the net, chirping at people in the crowd, and blistering an innocent line judge during a heated match.

Players such as Emma Navarro and Leylah Fernandez have drawn the ire of the fierce competitor. It is strange because Zheng is so lighthearted and funny off the court. Now, Zheng has finally opened up about her intense demeanor.

Ahead of the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, Zheng spoke with members of the press. When asked if she has any good friends or preferred keeping other players at a distance, Zheng provided a candid answer.

"My answer is very clear: I prefer always to keep the distance with the player. Has a lot of competition with me. I am, like, the sensitive type with my heart. I don't feel if I become friends with someone and I have to compete with them on court, I feel I'm not able to 100% focus and fight," said Zheng.

Zheng continued, "When I have to scream, 'Come on,' I'm not able to do that because I will feel a bit weird. In my heart, I feel if it's a friend, I really want she win or she feels good in her life. This is the opposite side of a tennis tournament."

Zheng concluded, "Once I figure out that, I decided don't try to make a friend on tour because there's so many people outside of the tennis world. Why I have to just make friends here? I come here to compete with them, to win the match. Yeah, that's my opinion."

All of the players competing in the WTA Finals have been forced to spend some time with each other as they practice and participate in public events.

When asked how she has interacted with other players over the past few days, Zheng gave a very on-brand answer. "We are just saying hello. Sometimes, say congrats to your great season. No more talk with no more people. I never go for more. I don't try to go for more, as well, yeah."

Zheng enters the ATP Finals as the World No. 7 with a record of 41-16 with two singles titles. She has been playing some of the best tennis of her career over the past month, making it to the finals of the Wuhan Open and winning the Pan Pacific Open.

Zheng's first match of the ATP Finals comes against Aryna Sabalenka at 11:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, November 1. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

More WTA Tennis News

Published |Modified
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