Within weeks of Zeng losing to a Sabalenka forehand at Flushing Meadows for the first time, her coach Wim Fissette dumped her in favor of four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. Osaka was knocked out in the first round in Melbourne. Zheng still struggles to pronounce Fissette's name. “I don't want to talk about this person,” she said after winning the gold medal at the Asian Games.
Cheng celebrates match point on Thursday. credit: GT
But she wants to talk about Li, the Chinese tennis legend she saw on TV competing in the Australian Open in 2014. Li has spurred generational investment in tennis in China – growing the game that had always been played with the second paddle of table tennis to 15. million people. players, creating a lucrative new revenue stream for the WTA almost single-handedly.
On Wednesday, Li Cheng was slapped on the butt while sneaking during a press conference to meet her for the first time.
Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen (back right) watches Li Na play in 2014.credit: Xinhua
“When Sister Na won the Grand Slam tournament, I began to believe that we, Chinese and Asians, can also achieve good results in tennis and have the opportunity to compete with the best players,” Cheng said.
Lee's myth is repeated so often that one reporter apologized for the inevitable comparison. “Don't worry, we love it,” she said.
Australian Open finalist Cheng Qinwen is on the cover of GQ Sports. credit: GQ
But few ask about the other member of Li's generation of China's “Golden Roses”, Peng Shuai, one of only four Chinese women to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, who disappeared for months in 2021 after making sexual assault allegations against Chinese women. precedents. Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.
Peng was last seen in public at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The WTA said it had made sure she and her family were safe, but the handling of the incident and the return of women's tennis to China last year for a multi-million dollar injection raised inevitable questions about the mix of politics and humanity. Rights and money in one of its largest markets.
“The message actually is: If you speak out, no matter how high-profile you are, if you speak critically of some officials, you may be in danger,” Yaqiu Wang, a senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said after Peng’s disappearance. “No one is safe. Your fame, your star status doesn't matter.”
Until Friday, Chinese state media had been relatively silent about Zheng's rise during the Australian Open draw. Ping, and by extension Chinese tennis, has gone through a long period of turmoil since her explosive allegations against a senior Chinese government official.
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And now she has a new champion on the horizon. Cheng has fully demonstrated her patriotism in Australia. On January 2, she wrapped herself in a Chinese flag at Cottesloe Beach in Perth. In three weeks you'll be across the other side of the country at Rod Laver Arena.
“Thank you to all my Chinese friends. I would love to see all the Chinese flags here,” she said after her win on Thursday.
In Wuhan, her family and friends at the Hubei Olympic Sports Center watched her reach the final. This was the same city where thousands of fans watched another of Hobby's favorite daughters, Lee, win the Australian Open 10 years ago.
“Mysterious Eastern metaphysics from Hopi,” said fan Minh Siong. “The Australian Open is the eternal blessed land for Hubei women. Little Cheng, don't hesitate and fight bravely on Saturday. You have nothing to lose.”
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