BEIJING, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- 2024 Paris Olympic women's singles champion Zheng Qinwen said on Tuesday that her recovery from elbow surgery is "on the right track" as she prepares for the China swing, starting with the China Open in Beijing.
Seeded seventh, Zheng will receive a first-round bye and start from the second round at this year's tournament.
Earlier in the day, Zheng joined Jannik Sinner, Naomi Osaka, Mirra Andreeva, Amanda Anisimova, Karen Khachanov and Emma Raducanu at a fan event hosted by Nike in Beijing's Sanlitun district, where the stars took part in light-hearted games with local tennis fans.
"I feel I'm around 70 to 80 percent now. Baseline strokes are okay, but I'm not yet at my ideal condition," Zheng said.
The 22-year-old admitted the recovery process also tested her patience. "I'm someone who tends to be impatient and always wants to come back quickly. But my team kept telling me not to rush, to take it step by step. That support helped me to complete my rehabilitation more steadily," she said.
After a stellar 2024 season highlighted by her Olympic gold medal and a runner-up finish at the WTA Finals, Zheng's 2025 campaign has been full of ups and downs. She lost in the second round at the Australian Open, reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, and suffered an early exit at Wimbledon before surgery forced her to miss the US Open and several other events.
"These two months were really hard. I wanted to play but couldn't. But tennis has taught me not only how to win, but also how to lose. You can't see every defeat as the end of the world. There's always another day, another match, another chance," Zheng said.
Looking ahead to her home swing, Zheng said her best-case scenario would be to play the entire China season, but uncertainty remains.
"Of course the ideal plan is to compete in every event, but I'm not yet at ten out of ten. So there is still some uncertainty. We still have several days of training, and I hope to get myself ready," she noted.
Although world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka withdrew at the last minute, the women's singles main draw of this year's China Open remains star-studded, featuring world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, defending champion Coco Gauff, American duo Anisimova and Jessica Pegula, Italy's Jasmine Paolini and Britain's Raducanu.
The China Open kicked off with its opening ceremony on Tuesday night, with the main draw action set to begin on Wednesday. ■
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