On the first day of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, eighth seed and China’s top player, Zheng Qinwen, was upset 6-4, 2-6, 4-6 by New Zealand’s Chinese-American player, Sun Lulu, ending her tournament run in the first round for the second consecutive year.
In the post-match press conference, Zheng revealed that she had experienced redness and swelling in her left eye since yesterday, which worsened this morning, affecting her ability to focus on the ball during the match.
Additionally, she mentioned an issue with a shoulder injury: “Three days ago, I had some pain in the back of my upper arm. I’ve been controlling my serve, not trying too hard because I still wanted to play Wimbledon. Today, I was always a bit scared during my serves, not daring to give it my all, always thinking about protecting my arm, and couldn’t perform at my best.”
“Grass court matches are fast-paced, and if you lose your serve and can’t break back, the set is pretty much over. In the first set, I felt okay, but as I started playing more aggressively, the pain increased with more serving. Without a good serve on grass, it’s very challenging.”
Expressing her frustration, Zheng said, “Today, I was in a state where my heart was willing but my body couldn’t keep up. I went on court with some worry. Of course, if I had managed better in crucial moments, I might have won. I actually love Wimbledon and grass courts, so getting upset was unexpected. Due to physical issues, I couldn’t showcase my full potential, but that’s how tennis goes. I’ll learn from this and focus on upcoming matches.”
The 2024 Paris Olympic Tennis Tournament will take place from July 27 to August 4 at Roland Garros, with Zheng competing in both the women’s singles and mixed doubles (partnering with Zhang Zhizhen).
Looking ahead to her Olympic debut, Zheng maintains a level-headed approach: “I’ll just take it one round at a time. There are still a few weeks until the Olympics, so I’ll prepare well, recover from my injury – probably a small muscle tear, similar to what happened in Rome last year, which usually takes about a week to heal – and then I should have enough time to prepare for the Olympics. Playing on clay in July is completely different from May, and it will be hot in Paris, so I need to build up my fitness in the coming weeks.”
(Text and Images: Felix)