On the night of the 27th, Melbourne's Rod Laver Stadium was crowded, and Sabalenka successfully defended the Australian Open women's singles title. At the moment of winning the cup, in the northern hemisphere winter night, many Chinese are staring at another protagonist on the screen - 2024 Australian Open women's singles runner-up, 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen.
This is the ninth time that Zheng Qinwen has reached the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament and the first time he has reached the final. After this match, she will jump to seventh in the singles world rankings, fulfilling her wish to "enter the top 10 in the world" a year ago.
After the match, her opponent Sabalenka said to Zheng Qinwen: "You will have many opportunities in the future, and you will definitely win your own Grand Slam title." "The blessings from the opponents also represent the expectations of many people. After the Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen's highlight road is still ahead.
100% passionate.
The moment you stand on the court, tennis is not just tennis, it is a reflection of what it is like to be human. ”
When she was 10 years old, when she went to the tennis school in the United States for the first time, Zheng Qinwen was given an English nickname by the coach - "fire", which not only refers to her sense of strength and offensive style, but also summarizes the fiery character of this little girl from Hubei.
However, strength and offense alone can't always help Zheng Qinwen win. From the youth arena to the ** arena, Zheng Qinwen realized from the setbacks again and again: "Great strength is an advantage, but if you can't control this power well and don't know how to use this power, it may become your disadvantage." ”
It's true on the pitch, but it's also true in life. Zheng Qinwen gradually discovered that there is a certain "connection" between the state of the players on and off the field: if they remain calm off the field, they will be more patient when playing on the field and can hold on to the opponent more.
I'm trying to keep myself calm and steady now, but at the same time I'm still attacking sharply on the pitch and I'm slowly looking for how to be the best I can be. ”
When competing, Zheng Qinwen will find his form in every way. During the Australian Open, she once revealed some of her "little superstitions" to **: "For example, if you want to eat the same thing, cook a lot of the same thing, the location of the car you go to the court every day must be the same, everything has to be the same, a lot of crazy little details." ”
At the same time, in order to maintain inner focus and tranquility, Zheng Qinwen made many "simple and direct" choices. For example, during the competition, she will try to maintain a light diet to avoid irritating foods affecting her physical condition. She will also choose to actively stay away from social networks to avoid mood swings.
I don't feel like I'm in a strong enough state of mind to completely ignore that, so I opt for physical shielding, which is the easiest way for me. ”
Simplicity and directness are Zheng Qinwen's style. And behind this is a total passion for tennis. Only by knowing what is most important in your heart can you not hesitate when facing your choice.
At the end of 2019, Zheng Qinwen went to Spain for training. Because of the epidemic, many players chose to return to China, but Zheng Qinwen insisted on continuing to train overseas. His father, Zheng Jianping, said that when the epidemic in Spain was severe, the training ground was controlled from 7 a.m. every day. For this reason, Zheng Qinwen has about 4 months, getting up at 4:30 in the morning to train and practicing until 7 o'clock.
This persistence gave us the opportunity to overtake in corners. Zheng Jianping said.
In August 2020, tennis resumed. In the more than a year since, Zheng has competed in nearly 30 competitions, a number that means she has barely rested. To reduce the risk of contracting the coronavirus, her team chose to travel by car, and the farthest one took 22 hours on the road.
It's incredible to think about it, I spent a day and a half in the car just to play a race. I don't want to be eliminated in the first round and then drive home for another 22 hours, I want to get some results and not let that hard work go to waste. Zheng Qinwen said.
Coach Riva, who has teamed up with Zheng Qinwen again, also said at the press conference before the final: "I have never seen a player who works so hard as her, you can imagine what kind of dream Qinwen has in her heart, she really wants to be the top player." I'm happy for her performance at the Australian Open because it's worth it. ”
Pain and growth.
I can't imagine the pain that stagnation brings me. This was 20-year-old Zheng Qinwen's exposition of pain.
After the Australian Open women's singles final, Zheng Qinwen covered herself with a towel on the side of the court. At the post-game press conference, this always optimistic and cheerful girl also choked up for a while.
It's really complicated, because I always feel like I can do better, but I didn't do it today, and then maybe I feel like I'm blaming myself more, and I need time to calm down. ”
In the past few years, Zheng Qinwen rarely showed her less positive emotions after the game, and her confident and humorous speech has even become a label on her.
In fact, the pain of defeat is a problem that every professional athlete must encounter. Zheng Qinwen once said that in the previous period, she would almost cry every time she lost a game. "Why didn't you just perform a little better? "It's usually the most difficult frustration in her mind to dissipate.
Perhaps it is because of this frustration that on the field, in the face of physical pain, this girl often shows a relentless determination.
At the 2022 French Open, Zheng Qinwen met the world's No. 1 player in the women's singles in the fourth round of the main draw - Swiatek. Zheng Qinwen, who was suffering from the double troubles of menstrual period and leg injury, had a significant decline in form in the second set. Sticking to the deciding set, she made a decision that shocked the crowd – "remove the bandage and keep fighting."
In fact, although there was pain in my leg at that time, it was nothing compared to the pain in my stomach. The bandage was tied to my leg and affected my movement, so I removed the bandage to give it a go. "I cherish this opportunity to fight the world No. 1, and I want to see where she can go, and I don't want to give up easily." ”
Coincidentally, at the 2023 Women's Tennis Players Association (WTA) Zhuhai station, Zheng Qinwen took painkillers to finish the match. After the game, Zheng Qinwen, who described his body as "torn apart", reviewed the loss: "I think maybe I lost a lot of key balls because I didn't come up with that breath." If I could have been a little more determined in my heart and not think about injuries and brought that breath up, even in such physical conditions, I would still have a chance today. ”
You can lose, but what matters is how you lose. Zheng Qinwen has already explained the reason for this in a previous interview, "See if I still have a chance in a desperate situation, this is the belief I uphold on the court." ”
The same belief was reflected in the final of the Australian Open.
In the footage of the award ceremony and post-match press conference, the regret and loss in Zheng Qinwen's expression are very easy to detect. But before that, when the game entered the decisive stage, in the face of the opponent's "bombing" strong attack, Zheng Qinwen showed calmness and rationality far beyond his age. With the big score completely at a disadvantage, she almost blankly seized the last opportunity to fight back, saving a full four championship points.
Although she failed to rewrite the ending in the end, for 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen, the regret and unwillingness at this moment may turn into an energy that pushes her forward.
I thought winning the championship would have been in line with my expectations, but not winning it shows that I really have a lot to improve. ”
Perhaps, I have to work more on tennis, on my mental state and personal state to be relieved. Because if we lose, then there must be a reason behind it, and we have to try to find out the reason ......I think I can learn more from today's defeat and I just hope that the next time I come back to the Australian Open, I can be a better and stronger tennis player." ”
After the quarterfinals of this year's Australian Open, a reporter asked Zheng Qinwen: "What do you want to say to yourself when you were a child?" ”
And Zheng Qinwen's answer may just be used to motivate her at this moment: "All your efforts must be worth it, and you must enjoy the process a lot, because everything will come." ”
*: Shanxi Evening News].
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