The 21-year-old also met Li – one of her idols – for the first time on Saturday, with the dual grand slam champion sneaking into one of her interviews and playfully slapping her on the bottom.
“It is good for her, and for China tennis,” Li said of Zheng’s success. “I’m happy to see a lot of young players grow up [and start making their mark]. I think it’s big chance for her for this year.”
Qinwen Zheng and Yafan Wang embrace at the net after their hard-fought third-round match at the Australian Open; a contest that attracted more than five million views on China’s 24-hour sports TV station.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Forbes ranked Zheng at No.15 last year in the world’s highest-paid female athletes, combining her $US1.7 million ($2.6 million) prizemoney with her $US5.5 million ($8.4 million) in off-court earnings, including sponsorships with Nike, Gatorade, McDonald’s, Rolex, Wilson Sporting Goods and Alibaba Group.
That number will skyrocket if she makes the Australian Open final, even more so if she wins it.
“The timing of her run is so good now because tennis was dormant in China for virtually three years, particularly on the back of the Peng Shuai situation, as well as COVID,” Peter Johnston, who was based in Beijing from 2012-14 as the WTA’s Asia-Pacific managing director, told this masthead.
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“Now, you’ve got the ‘Queen’ motoring along, following on from the support act of the other girls in the top 100, and also the men are kicking on, with Zhizhen Zhang, ‘Jerry’ [Juncheng] Shang and Wu Yibing.
“They have tournaments up and running again, and tennis is back on all cylinders in China, so Qinwen is only turbocharging it.”
Zhang has been a trailblazer for Chinese men’s tennis, becoming the first to break into the top 100 in the ATP rankings and creating more history on Tuesday, when he and Czech partner Tomas Machac advanced to the Australian Open men’s doubles semi-finals.
No Chinese player had won an ATP title until Wu managed the feat at the Dallas Open in February last year.
But the most excitement, at least on the men’s side, is reserved for former junior world No.1 Shang, an 18-year-old who progressed to the third round as a wildcard at this year’s Australian Open.
China’s top-ranked women’s tennis player Zheng Qinwen signs autographs for fans after defeating her compatriot Wang Yafan.Credit: AP Photo
Less known is that there is not a centralised tennis program in China, but there are significant financial incentives from the federation for local stars to compete in events such as the Asian Games.
Zheng Qinwen, the only women’s seed left in the top half of the draw, said Chinese tennis was in “a really good position”.
“I think generally it’s obvious China has really good tennis players in women and men,” she said. “All of us are trying to develop and improve as best as we can. Some of us are young.”
Johnston, who has served as tournament director for a number of ATP and WTA events in China, including on ongoing role with the ATP 250 Zhuhai Championships, said the “explosion” of tournaments was the springboard for the country’s success.
This year marks 10 years since China’s Li Na won the Australian Open women’s singles title.Credit: Justin McManus
The number of elite events in China increased from two to seven while he was working in Beijing at the height of Li’s popularity.
“There is more accessibility, more courts and more opportunities being created,” Johnston said.
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“The government is getting behind the sport, in terms of building facilities – and the Chinese love it. They get to watch the ATP and WTA events week in, week out on iQIYI, and we know China love their superstars.”
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