Zheng makes tennis history for Asia

Zheng Qinwen of China celebrates after the women's singles gold medal match of tennis against Donna Vekic of Croatia at the Olympic Games in Paris, France, on Saturday. WAN XIANG/XINHUA

Chinese tennis phenom Zheng Qinwen, whose unprecedented victory on Saturday at Roland Garros won her the coveted title of the first Olympic singles champion in Asia, is primed to fill the big shoes of her legendary predecessors and strongly represent China in the global sporting community.

The 21-year-old established her spectacular career milestone by beating Croatia's Donna Vekic in straight sets at the renowned red-clay venue in Paris, and gave China its second Olympic tennis gold after the women's doubles title won by Li Ting and Sun Tiantian at the 2004 Athens Games.

Saturday's historic moment propelled Zheng into the pantheon of Chinese sporting greats, such as former NBA All-Star Yao Ming, 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang and two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na. She is now representing the confident and vibrant image of Chinese youth on the international stage, thanks to her impressive foray into a traditionally Western-dominated professional sport.

Zheng, who hails from Hubei province, said she is honored to join all the history-makers, but will stay sure-footed and laser-focused on chasing more consistent breakthroughs.

"To be honest, I always dreamed of one day joining the likes of Yao, Liu and Li, and to be as successful and influential as they were as athletes," Zheng told China Daily on Sunday at the Nike Athlete House, next to the Olympic Village.

"I've been working so hard toward that goal, and (have) finally proved that I have what it takes to become the new leader of Chinese tennis. … I feel so privileged and honored," she said.

"Yet I know where I am, having also pulled through so many defeats, and where my remaining goals are. I have plenty more dreams to realize, such as Grand Slam titles, so I won't stop pushing," she added.

Zheng celebrates winning a point in the match. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

As world No 7, Zheng is currently China's highest-ranked female tennis player. Her Olympic victory has turned heads on professional circuits, with the International Tennis Federation, the Women's Tennis Association and all four Grand Slam tournaments sending her congratulatory messages.

The official Chinese account of the French Open on Sina Weibo said: "There is a golden dream and a nation's obsession. Eventually, a daughter of that nation, Zheng, unraveled it at Court Philippe-Chatrier."

Inspired by her aggressive attacking style on court and some similarity with the pronunciation of her given name, Zheng's legion of international fans called her "Queen Wen" at previous tournaments.

Zheng said that after her Olympic victory, she is confident she will live up to their expectations. "Before this, I would have been modest and said, 'Oh, don't call me that'. But now, I understand its significance and have embraced it," she said.

The tennis ace, who boasts three singles titles on the professional WTA Tour, a runner-up finish at the 2024 Australian Open and a singles win at last year's Asian Games, added, "I've fought on the court for a long time and truly feel I've pushed my own limits, so the title 'Queen Wen' is well-deserved."

Zheng won a historic gold medal for China. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

Following in the footsteps of Li, she is set to become another commercially successful female player from China, with her convincing athletic records and charismatic personality drawing an increasing number of domestic and international brands as her sponsors.

On the Forbes' 2023 list of highest-paid female athletes worldwide, Zheng ranked 15th with $1.7 million in prize money and $5.5 million in endorsement income, making her the first Chinese tennis player featured on the list since Li.

Before the Paris Games, Zheng also secured endorsements from brands such as Rolex, Nike and Alipay, with sports marketing experts predicting an exponential rise in her market value following her Olympic success.

Zhang Zizhu, a Beijing-based marketing and branding agent, told the 21st Century Business Herald: "Tennis, as a professional sport, traditionally produces some of the world's highest-paid stars, thanks to the complete sponsoring and marketing systems promoted by sports agencies. Zheng's rise has tapped into that huge potential of the sport in the Chinese market".