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On Saturday Zheng Qinwen became only the second Chinese tennis player in history to contend for a Grand Slam singles final a decade after Li Na lifted the Australian Open trophy in Melbourne. She was overwhelmed by a dominant Aryna Sabalenka, but in talking to her a little more than a year ago, it’s hard for me not to think that Zheng’s arrival was preordained, maybe even destined. But she wouldn’t put it that way.
Speaking with her in late 2022 for the cover story of Racquet Issue No. 21, I was struck by the 20-year-old’s poise as she articulated her ambitions—to become a top player with lasting power—at once plainly yet authoritatively. Of course, she shared the same desires held by most players on tour, but Zheng was not merely reciting a conventional fantasy. She was speaking her aspirations into existence. She imagined herself then as she does now—as a vehicle for these greater callings, and as such, her work is charged with underlying conviction.