US OPEN

September 7, 2026

Zheng Qinwen

Press Conference

Z. QINWEN/I. Swiatek

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Impressive two-set win, including that first set. Your thoughts?

ZHENG QINWEN: Yes, I been expecting, like, really tough match today, and also, I'm happy to won in two sets. It's really difficult to do that against Iga, because she's a wonderful player.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Obviously being down Love-5 is not an ideal situation to be in, but did the experience of having come back from that deficit against Madison in the previous round give you any encouragement to do the same thing today?

ZHENG QINWEN: Yes, but I would say I start the match really slow. That's why she's able to lead 5-0. After that, I start to play more freely, let's say, because I think I need to try to find my rhythm at least for the second set.

But somehow, I felt really comfortable on court, and in one moment I also lose the score, because I'm so focused to playing every single point.

I think that's the key for me to come back. I didn't expect that today, but somehow it's just happening again, yeah (smiling).

Q. I wanted to ask you about that. You mentioned that also, that you forgot the score.

ZHENG QINWEN: Yeah.

Q. Did you think it was 5-3, or how did you mean you forgot what it was?

ZHENG QINWEN: Yeah, so at 4-5, I went to the towel, because I thought, yeah, it was 3-5, and I thought I need to play one more game. But when I saw the scoreboard, I was, like, oh, 4-5, I need to go to my place to sit down, because I was so focusing every single point. I couldn't even remember the score. I just said, Okay, this ball have to play here, that ball there, next point, so just keep repeating, yeah.

Q. I remember at the French Open in that really tough loss you had, you were so emotional after, I wonder if then you had any sense that even though it was a frustrating loss, that you would be back to where you wanted to be this soon. I'm sure it feels long to you, but it's just been a summer.

ZHENG QINWEN: Yeah, that loss for me is one of the toughest for me to accept it, because I got lot of chance in that match. Even right now, for me, I could remember how I missed those chances.

But I think those losses maybe is necessary for me to understand. I need to stay humble. You know, I need to continue work hard, to come back to my spot, because I felt sport, there's no gift.

If you stop working hard, the result shows everything. So I need to, in that moment, to heal myself for quite long time, little by little find myself.

Also, I'm not winning still after that. I just need to accept it, keep working hard, and let's see when is my moment when I can coming back again.

But I always have the confidence of myself I will be there. It's just matter of when. Of course I want happen not so long, you know, (smiling).

Q. I wanted to ask you about your training block that you had before coming here. Was that your decision to have that training block? Did your coaches tell you to do that? How and why did you decide on that?

ZHENG QINWEN: So after, when I lost badly in Toronto qually, which is I play really disaster there, my coach sat down with me and we had a long talk together. He told me, You can't continue playing like this. You need to have a training block and find your tennis again.

I think about it, it just take five seconds. I say, Okay, let's do that.

We decide to go to Bradenton, IMG Academy, which is to have nothing around. Just tennis, gym, and a resting place. So we have been really dedicate all the time in tennis, tennis, tennis, and training. And I remember one day that we even finished training at 8:30 in the evening when I start, like, 8:00 in the morning.

Yeah, it was really tough, but this is how sport shows. If you don't work hard, you don't have it. So I'm really happy about we make together the work, and then at the end, the effort pays off.

Q. You're obviously a big star in a lot of ways. You have a lot of fans in China, Olympic gold medal last Olympics. How difficult was it for you two weeks ago to play qualifying and not be in the main event and start earlier than everyone else? Was that a psychological challenge? Even if it obviously worked out great in the end, it was still something you had to accept before it started?

ZHENG QINWEN: Yeah, psychologically, it is very difficult to accept. I mean, I used to be top 10, Olympic champion. I play in the big stadiums since the beginning.

Right now, you know, my ranking drop so much after injury, I couldn't performance well the last three, four months. I know people has lot of doubt about me, and it's just really hard for me.

I just needs to keep positive every single day, telling myself, Just keep working, and let's see when the result gonna happen.

It is really, really tough process. I suffered a lot, and I have been through a lot of pain every single losses I have. But I think at the end, sport, you just needs to stay humble and keep fighting, because once you lost that, the result really shows everything.

I'm just really happy to be back again. I mean, if that's what God give to me, all the losses before, I'm sure that he will give me something back, no?

Q. Is there anything that you've had to do to prevent yourself from getting injured again, from reinjuring the elbow? And also, having played three more matches than everybody else here, is there any, like, concern that you have either in your mind or real concern about sort of the wear and tear of piling up as the tournament gets longer for you?

ZHENG QINWEN: Yeah, actually, my body has always been quite healthy. The most biggest injury I have is just the elbow.

I mean, this tooks lot of time. But I remember besides that, my body nearly doesn't have much injury. Even if injury, it's just take small, like it's going to heal in three, two, one week.

From now, my body is in good shape. I mean, today after my match, I even go to practice a bit, because I felt with lot of energy, but I think in sport, if the mind is there and the body is healthy, I think I can go a bit longer, yeah.

Q. Did you have to change anything with your stroke or your serve or anything, like Novak did after he had the elbow issue, in order to prevent injury again?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, we need to adjust a bit the serve, of course, because I really believe my serve can be much better than that, so we are still improving on, yeah.

Q. It hasn't been decided who your next opponent will be. We know it will either be Naomi or Elena. Starting with Naomi, with the experience you have against her and with the run that you've had here, what are your thoughts about that match?

ZHENG QINWEN: I think both, they are really tough opponent. They had Grand Slam winner before. Doesn't matter who I play against, I just gonna give my 100%.

I think it's gonna be a tough fight over there, as well. You know, both have big stroke, big serve. It's not going to be easy match.

I mean, doesn't matter who I play. I just can make sure on my side I will try to play my tennis and trying to keep fighting the same and with good energy there.

Q. Specifically about each of the two, with Naomi, what, for you specifically, is the biggest challenge in playing her?

ZHENG QINWEN: I think in the baseline, she can open the court really good, and then I see recently her matches, and she move much better compared to before. She can hold more rallies, so that's going to make extra challenge.

Q. And against Rybakina?

ZHENG QINWEN: Of course Rybakina, she's leading on the aces. Her serve is biggest weapon of her and it's not easy. And she play very flat ball also. This can makes me not so comfortable.

But, I think both has their good stuff, and both also has their weakness, like everybody here. So we just play the game, and let's see what can happen there.

Q. Just wanted to take you back to that loss in Toronto that you mentioned, and specifically that conversation you had with your team afterwards. What was it about your game, your mentality, how you were feeling about your tennis that made you and the team feel like drastic change was needed? And if you can compare that to just a few weeks later here.

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, even I lost that qually in Toronto, we had a meeting with my coach. I told him like this: I have all the pieces, like, in my tennis, I have all the pieces there. It's just I didn't put them together yet. Or I didn't find a way to put them together. But all the pieces are there.

Then so he told me, like, Okay, let's go to practice really hard to helps you put all the pieces. And then, you will show me later if you really got all the pieces.

And I say, Okay, let's do that.

That's why you saw after match, I showed this (demonstrating), that's mean pieces. Yeah.

That was really, really hard block of training over there. I mean, I mention many times, I don't want mention anymore, because, I mean, that's the toughest training I ever did with him, honestly, yeah.

Q. This is your third US Open quarterfinal, but given everything you have explained, I imagine it's quite a unique experience for you, coming from qualifying as well. Have you learned anything new about yourself or not during this period?

ZHENG QINWEN: I learn a lot about myself, about tennis, about life, about everything, you know. For me, losing a match is not just about tennis. It's more about something with yourself.

And also, when you're winning a match, you know exactly what you did right to win this match. You know all the process you've been through. You know all the single point what you're thinking of in your head.

I would say right now, the most important challenge for me is to keep this humble and be there, fight like I have nothing -- okay, I come from the qually this time, so I say to myself, The reality is you are just 125. So you are not the top 10 you were before. Don't treat yourself so high. You are here as everyone else. You start from the ground, so stay there and keep fighting, yeah.

Q. Obviously players have periods of confidence up and confidence down, and it's part of the pieces of the puzzle. What is your idea, what is your definition of "confidence," and when did you start to feel it coming back, if it was in this tournament or before the tournament?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, my confidence is always there. Even I've been lost these three, four months, my confidence is always inside me, because I always know what I'm capable to do. It's just I need to show that.

Sometimes the tricky things is I cannot show I'm so confidence, because you lose the match and people doesn't like that.

Also, I try to tell myself, Okay, stay calm, stay calm.

But I always say without confidence, you cannot win a match. I had lot of tough match in the quallies, tough match here. I think it's because those confidence helps me to get those match.

I think in the future, doesn't matter which stage I am, confidence is always going to be there with me, because I feel that's the basic for athlete if you want to win a match.