Pegula empathizes with Zheng Qinwen's loss due to string tension, discusses players' string issues; Medvedev reveals reason for good form

After advancing to the quarterfinals of the WTA1000 Indian Wells today, American star Pegula discussed players' string issues in her post-match interview. Just days earlier, Chinese top player Zheng Qinwen, after an unexpected loss, candidly admitted her team made a "mistake" with the string tension. Regarding this, the American star completely understands.

If you think professional players can win just by taking their rackets onto the court, Pegula's story will sober you up. After sweeping past Bencic and reaching the quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive tournament, the American star was in high spirits and directly launched into an equipment workshop discussion.

“I am extremely sensitive to string tension; even slight changes in humidity or temperature, I can feel it.” Pegula revealed that in her previous match against Vekic, after losing the first set, she urgently switched to a racket with higher tension, then won two consecutive sets to reverse the match. This extreme attention to detail is precisely the key to her rock-solid stability—no major fluctuations, relying on continuous improvement to stand firm among the top.

But the funniest part came later. Pegula suddenly shifted her tone and revealed a past regretful episode: “Last summer I impulsively wanted to try natural gut for the main strings, and guess what happened? First-round exits in both Toronto and Cincinnati, the balls all flew out of the galaxy, making me question my life.” She concluded with a helpless look: “So, it's not necessarily that expensive is suitable; what fits you is the best.”

These words instantly ignited the online comment section. Some netizens said, “Laughing to death, even the rich lady paid the ‘intelligence tax’!” Others commented, “Pegula: I proved with first-round exits that natural gut isn't for me, don't step into that pit.” Another netizen remarked, “No wonder she can reach quarterfinals consecutively, this self-adjustment ability is terrifying.”

Many domestic netizens also said, “This is the essence of ‘details determine success or failure.’ One must trust top players like Pegula's sensitivity to equipment and adaptation to the environment. Therefore, Zheng Qinwen's loss is actually understandable.”

It is worth mentioning that a few days ago, the Chinese top player lost to Rutjić in the second round of Indian Wells. After the match, she unusually revealed a detail: due to a communication oversight by her team, the string tension used during the match was not the value she requested before the match. Coupled with the drop in nighttime temperature, she lost all feel, directly affecting her serve and shot quality. Thus, Pegula's words provided the most authoritative explanation for many netizens questioning the Chinese top player!

“Those shouting for retirement, go see what Pegula said? Even top players are exploring equipment; who hasn't paid some dues? Believe in Zheng, the低谷 is only temporary. Once she adjusts, she will definitely be stronger.” One netizen indignantly said.

External commentary: WTA official analysis认为 Zheng Qinwen's loss was the result of multiple factors叠加: insufficient serve training due to右 elbow术后 recovery, communication errors during new team磨合, and rusty match feel after久疏战阵. But this恰恰 is the必经之路 for young players' growth.

Turning attention to the men's singles, Medvedev, the newly crowned Dubai champion, after entering the Indian Wells quarterfinals, calmly talked about his “anti-jetlag”体质.

“For me, flying from Dubai, the first day I feel best, the second, third, and fourth days反而容易低迷.” Medvedev seriously analyzed, “So I played very well from the first match, but一直小心翼翼,生怕后面突然断电.结果到现在也没断电, even越打越好.”

When asked when he last felt this good, Medvedev directly怼 last year: “Dubay那次算一次. Last year?一次都没有. Whether in shot confidence or match structure, I am now远超去年.这种感觉太棒了, but I also know无数人想终结我, I must全力保持专注.”

Regarding the performance of Russian star Medvedev at Indian Wells this year, tennis legend McEnroe stated that once Medvedev找回信心, he is one of the hardest players to beat. His deep defense and varied tactics are极具威胁 on Indian Wells' slow courts.

From sensitivity to a single string, to团队沟通疏忽, to精准把控 of jetlag, the Indian Wells story tells us: in top-level对决, any微小细节都可能被放大成胜负手. And真正的冠军, are those who can find the最适合自己的那条路 in these details.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lu Xiaotian)