Zheng Qinwen: Last year when I returned, my body wasn’t fully ready, but the goal of winning has always remained.

On February 9 local time, the Chinese rising star Zheng Qinwen made her comeback debut in the first round of the WTA1000 Doha singles, facing former Australian Open champion Kenin across the net. Before the match, Zheng spoke to TENNIS SWEET SPOT about her preparation during injury and her goals for returning:

Q: How do you feel about your first match of the new season coming up?

Zheng Qinwen: I’m extremely excited to be back on court competing alongside everyone. It’s been such a long time away from playing; during that period, I could only watch matches on TV while focusing entirely on rehabilitation and treating my injury. The recovery took much longer than I expected, but thankfully I made it through, and now I’m finally back. Let’s see how I perform this week on the court.

Q: When were you able to start training normally again?

Zheng Qinwen: Actually, two weeks before the Australian Open started, I couldn’t even swing a racket. So my rehab began very slowly. It wasn’t until a week before the Australian Open that I could rally from the baseline, but I still couldn’t serve, so I ultimately decided to withdraw from the tournament. That was an incredibly tough decision for me. Looking back, I regret choosing to compete last year because it took me months to realize my elbow wasn’t ready for competition. At the time, I followed the doctor’s advice who said I could play. But reality showed my body wasn’t prepared, which is why the rehab afterward took even longer. I’ve learned from this experience and will be more cautious next time.

Q: How did you cope mentally during this period?

Zheng Qinwen: My mindset this time was different from before. After surgery, I knew I would miss the US Open, so I watched it purely as a fan and spectator. But giving up the Australian Open was really hard because I knew it was due to an incomplete decision on our part. Even though we tried our best to recover, the outcome was hard to accept—I even cried alone in the bathroom. I kept asking myself why it turned out this way and why my elbow wasn’t healing. It was confusing, but in the end, I had to accept reality because it was the most rational choice: if I couldn’t even serve, why travel all the way to Australia to compete? I couldn’t just rely on luck on the court.

However, during this time, I also had the chance to fully watch many players’ matches. When competing, I rarely get to watch others play, but this time I watched both men’s and women’s singles thoroughly, which was very interesting! I even got an iQIYI membership just to watch the Australian Open! (laughs) When I was playing, watching these events was free!

Q: Is your body now completely pain-free, or do you still have to carefully manage your condition?

Zheng Qinwen: When I was training in Abu Dhabi, my body wasn’t at 100%, but now I’d say I’m about 95% recovered. I can hit and serve freely, so I’m really looking forward to this tournament.

Q: Have you gained any positive insights from this experience?

Zheng Qinwen: Definitely. This period taught me how to make more comprehensive decisions—the mistake was due to incomplete or incorrect information at the time. So next time I’ll gather information from multiple sources and listen to different opinions, increasing the chance of making the right choice. That’s the most important lesson I’ve learned from this injury. Also, I immersed myself in watching many men’s and women’s matches, sometimes even watching two screens simultaneously, which was very enjoyable. I appreciated some players’ performances purely as a fan, not a competitor, and enjoyed the sport that way.

Q: Was there any player you followed more closely during this time?

Zheng Qinwen: Yes, definitely. I kept an eye on Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic to study their playing styles. On the women’s side, I watched Sabalenka and Rybakina. These top players performed excellently at the Australian Open. Now it’s time for me to catch up—I can’t just be a fan behind the screen forever, right? It’s time to get back on court and work hard to beat them.

Q: Because of your elbow injury, have you made any adjustments to your serve?

Zheng Qinwen: Yes, I made some minor adjustments mainly in details. For example, I focused on fixing my toss position to improve serving accuracy. Ultimately, the goal is to increase the success rate of my first serve.

Q: You’ve always had big ambitions. Have you set specific goals for this comeback?

Zheng Qinwen: The goal of winning titles has always been there, but my style of play has changed compared to before. During the six months off, I learned a lot. Past achievements are behind me; everything starts anew. So if I want to reclaim my place, I must train harder, compete fiercely, and stay humble. Just be grounded and give my all.

Actually, during the Beijing China Open, I felt quite frustrated. My serving was less than half of what it used to be, but my baseline and net play were still decent. That’s just reality I have to accept and do my best with my current physical condition. But now I’m really happy my elbow has recovered well. I’ve been praying for someone to help me out of this tough spot, and it seems my prayers have been answered. I hope this good fortune continues.

(Translated by: Dato, Photo: Li Jianyi)