On November 2, Beijing time, the 2024 WTA year-end finals kicked off. Zheng Qinwen made his debut against his old rival Sabalenka . After more than an hour of fierce fighting, Zheng Qinwen lost to Sabalenka 0-2 and failed to win the first victory in the group stage. The scores in the two sets were 3-6, 4-6.
After the game, Zheng Qinwen accepted an exclusive interview with CCTV news reporters. In the interview, Zheng Qinwen summarized the reasons for the failure and said that the direction for future progress and adjustments has been made clear.
Reflecting on the defeat: facing the strong enemy squarely, looking forward to the future room for improvement
In the interview, Zheng Qinwen admitted that this was the first time she had treated her strong enemy Sabalenka as an ordinary opponent in the game. Regarding the factors that led to the loss of this match, Zheng Qinwen believed that she lost multiple service games, but this also gave her a clear direction for future adjustments and improvements.
Regarding his performance in the game that day, Zheng Qinwen believed that he performed about 60 to 70% of his strength in the game, and there is still a lot of room for improvement. However, Zheng Qinwen also admitted that there was still a chance to defeat his opponent in this game. He missed the break point due to a mistake when returning the serve with a backhand.
Regarding his adaptation to the event and venue, Zheng Qinwen said that he has not yet fully adapted, but believes that this situation will improve in the next games.
Facing challenges: stay calm and enjoy the game
As for the unfavorable start to the WTA year-end finals this time, Zheng Qinwen still seemed very relaxed, and "enjoyment" was the focus of her emphasis. Although she also mentioned that losing the first game may bring a lot of pressure to subsequent games, "it's normal" and "taking her time" also demonstrated her strong psychological quality as a professional racer.
Regarding injuries: Overcome challenges and maintain competitive status
In addition, Zheng Qinwen also talked about her injuries in the interview. She had some strains on the back of her thigh two days ago, so Zheng Qinwen took a day off, which also caused Compared with other players, Zheng Qinwen lags behind in adapting to the competition. As for whether the injury would affect the game, Zheng Qinwen said that she was still a little worried before the game, but she felt that she had recovered well during the day's game.
Chinese fans are so enthusiastic that Zheng Qinwen feels the power of his hometown in a foreign arena.
It is worth noting that during the game that day, many Chinese fans came to the scene to cheer for Zheng Qinwen. In this regard, Zheng Qinwen expressed his gratitude to these supporters and the audience who made a special trip from China to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "They made this venue become (filled with) Chinese voices, which is amazing!"
Zheng Qinwen said that before the game started, she could not imagine that it would be like this. She said: "Today seems to take me back to China, so powerful!"
Source: Zhang Yaning/CCTV News
