Without hesitation, 22-year-old tennis sensation Zheng Qinwen revealed her childhood dream of clinching a Grand Slam title, placing it far above the allure of achieving a world No. 1 ranking. The Chinese tennis prodigy’s dreams were nearly realized in 2024 when she was just a single victory away from a Grand Slam win. However, her aspirations were thwarted when Aryna Sabalenka bested her in the Australian Open final, delivering a swift 6-3 6-2 defeat.
Despite this setback, Zheng’s performance throughout the year remained noteworthy. She ascended to the US Open quarterfinals, although her journey was cut short in the French Open’s third round and abruptly ended in Wimbledon’s first round.
The 2025 season, however, has not commenced on a promising note for Zheng. In a surprising turn of events, she lost to Laura Siegemund in the Australian Open’s second round. Yet, when asked at Indian Wells to choose between a Major win or attaining the world No. 1 ranking, her response was unequivocal.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, a Grand Slam. That has been my dream since childhood. I never envisioned being No. 1; my dream has always been to lift a Grand Slam trophy,” the former world No. 5 confessed, her response laced with a light-hearted apology for her brutal honesty.
Reflecting on her maiden Major final, Zheng expressed her dissatisfaction with her performance against Sabalenka at Melbourne Park. She refuted any suggestions of nerves influencing her game, instead pointing to missed opportunities and a failure to capitalize on certain chances.
“I believe I could have performed much better,” she confessed in her post-final press conference, pledging to absorb the lessons from her defeat and bounce back stronger.
Despite recent struggles, Zheng, now 22 and regarded as one of the potential game changers in the tennis world, is still a solid contender for a future Major title. While her Major-level performance has admittedly been inconsistent since her 2024 Australian Open breakthrough, there is little doubt that she has the potential to fulfill her childhood dream in the future.
