Why Zheng Qinwen is feeling ‘lucky’ and confident in Melbourne return

MELBOURNE — World No.5 Zheng Qinwen returns to the site of her Grand Slam breakthrough full of confidence. Not that that’s breaking news. The 22-year-old Chinese star has never been short of self-belief.

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“I am always very confident on court, I would say,” Zheng told reporters at Australian Open Media Day. “It’s just before, when I don’t have the same result, maybe people can judge me, saying, ‘Why you have so much confidence when you have nothing?'”

As 2025 begins, Zheng certainly has more than nothing. Zheng’s prodigious career has been about gradual improvement and growth. While she saw her generational contemporaries like Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff storm the tour with rocket-like rises, Zheng’s career has been a slow burn. She was voted the WTA’s Newcomer of the Year in 2022 and the tour’s Most Improved a year later.

By the end of 2024, she was an Olympic champion, Australian Open finalist, and one of the most popular athletes in a country of over one billion people. She finished her season with a statement run in her WTA Finals debut, where she finished runner-up to Gauff in a three-set thriller.

“Right now because my result is there, that’s why the confidence become one of the positive things,” Zheng said. “But I believe if you want to beat your opponent, the first thing I need to have is the confidence. If you don’t believe, you are not going to make it.

“I allow myself to be confident, but still with control, not too much. I know sometimes when I’m overconfident, I can’t listen to any advice. I’m trying to control in the best level. Not too much. Not too low.”

Zheng needs no reminder that she still has a way to go. She is still searching for her first win over No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, who has served as a regular foil. Not unlike Gauff’s early streak against Swiatek, Zheng is now 0-5 against Sabalenka, with four of the five meetings coming in high-stakes showdowns. Sabalenka has stopped her at three Grand Slams — twice at the US Open quarterfinals and last year’s Australian Open final — and on her home soil, in the Wuhan final last fall.

“I think each time I play against her, the results are getting closer and closer, which is a positive thing,” Zheng said. “But it’s tough because it’s not just [about] you get closer and closer. It’s when is the time that I can actually beat her.

“But it’s tough to say because I am just constantly improving my game, adding more things, trying to approach new area. Of course, I believe she did, as well. You never know, your opponent, maybe she’s going to improve. You know tennis: if you don’t work any more, you also drop your level.

“It’s hard to say when is the time I can beat her. First of all, I just want to think about my next round, not her yet.”

A rematch of last year’s final could occur as early as the quarterfinal stage this year. Zheng has been drawn into top-seeded Sabalenka’s quarter. She will open against No.110 Anca Todoni of Romania.

In Melbourne, Zheng will be coached by Dante Bottini, once Kei Nishikori’s long-time coach. Bottini is stepping in on a temporary basis for Pere Riba, who is still on the mend after undergoing hip surgery in November.

“We have a good work together,” Zheng said. “He brings me some new opinions. I just follow his advice. Like everybody sees, I didn’t choose to play any tournament before Australian Open because I think for me it’s important to have a long time pre-season.

“Yeah, let’s see how it goes this year.”

While Zheng has not yet tallied a win on the court this year, she’s already scored one off it. This week, she was announced as a global ambassador for the high-end luxury fashion house, Dior. It’s another high-profile addition to Zheng’s growing sponsor portfolio. In the off-season she picked up deals with Audi and Gatorade as well.

“When you have sponsors like this, I think you need to make sure you also have the correct behavior inside and outside the court ’cause you want to match with those high brand,” Zheng said. “For me, Dior is a very, very high brand, everybody knows.

“I just am happy to work with them and thanks that they choose me because there are a lot of Olympic champions. I just say I’m lucky. Sometimes I really feel I’m a bit lucky.”