Biography
Zheng Qinwen wrote history at Paris 2024 on the clay courts of Roland Garros, becoming the first Chinese and Asian tennis player to win Olympic singles gold.
It marked her grand arrival on the global tennis stage, though she has been long touted by fans back home in the People’s Republic of China as their next sporting sensation.
Zheng Qinwen's journey from leaving home early
Born in Shiyan in the Hubei province on 8 October 2002, Zheng first picked up a tennis racket aged seven, and by the age of eight, she had moved 400km south to train in Wuhan.
Indeed, Zheng moved around a lot, from Beijing to Barcelona in pursuit of her tennis dream and following in the footsteps of her idol, Chinese two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na.
Her first career title came in 2023 at the Palermo Ladies Open, where she came up against home favourite Jasmine Paolini. Despite entering the tournament as a wildcard, Zheng prevailed over three sets to claim the WTA 250 championship.
The Chinese star followed that up with more success on home, where she has been playing her best tennis. Zheng won her first title in Chinese colours at the Asian Games 2023, defeating compatriot Zhu Lin to take the gold medal in Hangzhou.
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