CHINA OPEN

September 27, 2025

Zheng Qinwen

Press Conference

ZHENG QINWEN/E. Arango

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Qinwen, congratulations. Could you please explain your feelings going out there after having not played for a long time.

ZHENG QINWEN: Of course, I missed the competitions. I missed everyones here on court. I just enjoy again to play tennis, to play in a big stadium.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. What did you miss the most in your 88 days outside of competition?

ZHENG QINWEN: Oh, it's 88 days? Exactly 88?

Q. Yes.

ZHENG QINWEN: That's a good number because I'm from 8 of October.

I think the things I missed the most is to compete with others players because during these days, I only can see them on TV. I was sometimes laying on my bed because I just finished the surgery. I wish I could be in US Open, but I couldn't move my arm still in that moment.

I'm just really happy to come back and compete again. Of course, I miss all the fans who are cheering up for me. At the same time missed adrenaline, missing the pressure to be back on court.

Q. While you were rehabbing, did you have China Open as your target in terms of trying to race back to this tournament specifically? Can you talk about the process of healing and preparing yourself to compete again.

ZHENG QINWEN: Yeah, actually in the moment China Open wasn't in our plan because it's really close to be here 100%. Like I said on court, I wasn't at my 100% still. Like 80%, 70%, whatever, but I'm able to compete.

The recovery process is very long. At the beginning I heal really fast. Somehow when it end up to the last 20%, somehow it just didn't gets better. I check with my team and they told me, You don't have any risk to play matches. It depends on you.

I love to play here in China. I make a tough decision I'm going to step on the court and let's see what's going to happen during the match. So far was pretty good still, yeah (smiling).

Q. You still have a little bit of recovery left. How is the body feeling after this match? How is your recovery going in general? Did you experience any fatigue at any point tonight?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, my body still quite good. Of course, feelings a bit fatigue in the surgery area, which is normal. I've been expect this already. But it's going to be better because they thinks it's only going to get better if you keep pushing on without any risk. I've been doing really good rehab with my team, so let's see how far I can go with these situations, yeah.

Q. When you talk about how you're still nowhere where you necessarily want to be, when you're playing the match today, where is the difference you see of where you want to improve the most?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, I think I guess I'm attacking consist. I made some mistakes. In generally I'm trying to be more aggressive than before, which works really well. I'm trying to be more going forward, to be more dedicating in the games. In the same time, try to come more to the volley. Of course, I win some, I miss some. It's the area that I still needs to get improve on.

But I'm really happy with my performance. Especially it's my first match after two months. It was not easy for me. I think the opponent, she had really fast rhythm, I would say, during her service games. When we finish one point, directly she go to the next point. I feel, Okay, come back to the match again, yeah (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Chinese.

Q. Your first surgery in your life. Any new reflections you can share with us? Anything positive coming from recovery? Any memorable moments with fans? Any gifts or messages from your fans?

ZHENG QINWEN: Rehab is, of course, very challenging. In the past two months I did not have any pressure from matches. I felt relaxed. Most of the time I did not play tennis. At the very beginning I did not play tennis so I could focus on other things.

I learned Spanish. I read books. I took classes. It was a really good life. On court today, people were very passionate. I received encouraging words. I got Labubu toys. I got two key chains in my bag. These are from my fans.

I know my fans missed me in the past two months. I wasn't really updating on social media in the past two months. Now I'm back. I would like to stay more on court so my fans can see me more.

Q. You said you recovered 70% to 80%. Which part were you most satisfied with? The other 20%, what do you want to improve? Anything related to your right elbow?

ZHENG QINWEN: On the baseline I'm really happy. With some small errors, I can get more points from the baseline. Approaching the net was pretty good. But service... My serve wasn't really reaching the speed I want. The average is about 175. If I recover more, I can increase my speed. I think that's the rest of the 20% I'm working on.

Q. Before this match of course you focused on your health. With the support of the crowd, did you feel more relaxed on court? How do you strike the balance while you want to focus on your health and also want to put 100% in?

ZHENG QINWEN: No, I did not feel any conflict. I started with my rhythm. I was pretty relaxed at the beginning because a match is totally different from training.

At the end of the first set and the beginning of the second set, I was losing a little bit of focus because on court is quite different from off court. I need to have 100% concentration. There were some unforced errors at the beginning of the second set.

Overall I was really controlling the speed of the match. I was quite aggressive consistently. I thought I was playing with ease in the first match.

Q. In this comeback match, you were playing aggressively. Could you talk about your plan before this match. Also, what are some of the significance of this match?

ZHENG QINWEN: After a training, I wanted to be more aggressive in my tactics. I'm happy I did that tonight. Something I can improve is to be more flexible when I approach the net. When I'm standing in the middle, I can be more cautious without giving more unforced errors.

What was the last question again?

Q. What's the significance of this match to you?

ZHENG QINWEN: The significance is the first match comeback at the Diamond Court in Beijing. I'm really happy. I was frustrated missing out on the US Open. Bringing the best performance here tonight, receiving support from the crowd, feeling their passion, I get extra motivation playing under these conditions.

Coming here to the China Open really depends on the support of the fans because my team wasn't really supporting me in playing this tournament. In every training session, I see those fans and I said, I really want to play in front of these people.

Q. A lot of people are saying 'the queen is back'. What are your thoughts on that? You said you missed the fans. I would like to know what kind of support will help maximize your level from 80% to 100%.

ZHENG QINWEN: After I got injured, I received a lot of attention from my fans. They said, Don't worry, wait till you recover. I know that fans are not really trying to urge me to come back. It is me. I miss competition. I miss the crowd.

During the recovery period, I received a lot of encouragement. I had more time to search on the Internet, to surf on the Internet. Those encouraging words really motivated me.

Q. Next round Noskova, Czech player. What will your preparation be?

ZHENG QINWEN: Oh, it's her? I did not know that. Thank you for telling me that.

Indeed, she is a tough player. As far as I know she is really quick. Of course, I need to discuss with my team. She will definitely be a very challenging player.

It really depends on how much I can recover. I look forward to a better performance. We'll see what happens. I look forward to more support from the fans.