Zheng Qinwen adds Marcos Baghdatis to team, reaffirms Pere Riba as head coach in Indian Wells

Zheng Qinwen arrived at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open with a familiar face as a new member of her coaching team, the former world No. 4 revealing the addition of 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis.

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“I hope he can bring me something different and help my tennis improve further,” Zheng said in an exclusive interview with Tencent Sports.

Baghdatis peaked at No. 8 in the rankings before retiring in 2019.

The news comes amid rumors of a fracture with Zheng’s current head coach Pere Riba, whom the 2024 Australian Open runner-up insists has not departed from her team.

“I know there have been many questions about my coaching team, so let me clarify again. I have not ended my collaboration with Riba,” insisted Zheng, who reportedly unfollowed Riba on Instagram. “I truly have not ended it. He is just temporarily away from the team for a period of rest.”

Zheng made her 2026 season debut at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, having missed the last two major tournaments due to an elbow injury. She won back-to-back three-set matches against Sofia Kenin and Alycia Parks before suffering a narrow loss to reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the Round of 16.

“I do think my serve has improved compared to before,” Zheng told Tencent. “Especially after the surgery, I can feel that my overall physical function has changed. For example, my elbow can fully straighten now, which is different from before. At the same time, I made some small technical adjustments to my movements, and those have been helpful.”

Seeded No. 24 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Zheng will open against either Antonia Ruzic or Jennifer Brady, with Doha champion Karolina Muchova her projected seed in the third round.

“I feel like my level is pretty good,” Zheng said. “Everyone knows that the ball bounces higher than usual in Indian Wells, so it does take a bit of time to adjust. But overall, I feel in good shape. My body has basically recovered to a normal state now, which makes me really happy."