Zheng Qinwen: “I prayed my elbow would heal” during injury odyssey, wins in Doha return

DOHA, Qatar—Zheng Qinwen made a winning return to action at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Monday, after which the former world No. 4 confirmed the elbow injury that kept her off court much of the last six months was “at a good stage."

“I think when you come back from an injury, you’re never completely pain-free,” Zheng cautioned in a mixed zone interview Monday night after rallying to defeat Sofia Kenin, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. “There’s always up and down portions. Sometimes, when you wake up, you feel better. Sometimes, you wake up and feel worse.

“I would say my elbow right now is really at a good stage and I could have kept going for another two hours serving like this!”

The fiercely competitive former Australian Open finalist has missed the last two major tournaments since undergoing surgery on her right elbow in July. She attempted a comeback at her home tournament last fall but was forced to retire during her second match at the China Open.

“When I was at the China Open, my elbow still didn’t have full extension or the flexion,” Zheng admitted. “At one moment, I thought my elbow would stay like this forever, that I would never be able to bend my right arm like I can bend my left.

“I was praying, I don’t know if it was to God or something else, but I just wanted my elbow to get back to normal. I don’t pray for winning matches. I just prayed for a normal elbow.”

Whether it was divine intervention or a disciplined rehab process, Zheng looked stronger than ever, particularly on serve against the 2020 Australian Open champion on Grandstand court, striking a whopping 20 aces to clinch victory in just under two hours.

“I wanted to come back really strong,” Zheng said of her improved delivery. “I’m glad I could do that in the first match because tennis, you need to be consistent, not only one round. I would say, just stay calm and let’s go for the next round.”

Struggling with elbow pain as recently as the Australian Open, Zheng’s average serve speed has fluctuated throughout the recovery process and dealt with the frustration that comes with a long injury lay-off.

I put up a big screen for the Australian Open and a smaller screen next to play men’s and women’s matches at the same time. I was able to follow the most interesting players: Sabalenka, Sinner, Djokovic, Alcaraz, Rybakina. I’ve been watching all those matches and it felt fun to just watch tennis on the screen as a fan. Zheng Qinwen

“When you see how much time has passed, it starts to get difficult because you’re used to training but now you’re not getting feedback,” Zheng said of her lack of match play. “When you play a tournament, at least you get feedback from winning or losing, you know where you need to improve. You don’t get feedback from continuing to train. During the Australian Open, I could only serve 140-150 km/hr with my elbow. If I said that I wasn’t worried, that’s a lie. I was very worried in that moment. But I can only keep myself calm. I can’t do anything. But somehow, I’m very lucky that my elbow started to feel better. I’m really glad. I just wish my elbow could keep going at this stage and let’s keep fighting.”

Zheng spent the time off doing something she didn’t expect as she pulled out all the stops to keep up with the game from afar.

“When I was playing, I don’t watch too much tennis, but when I was off tennis for six months, I put up a big screen for the Australian Open and a smaller screen next to play men’s and women’s matches at the same time. I was able to follow the most interesting players: Sabalenka, Sinner, Djokovic, Alcaraz, Rybakina.

“I’ve been watching all those matches and it felt fun to just watch tennis on the screen as a fan.”

By the end of the interview, any lingering doubts about her health vanished when asked about an interview given by Australian Open tournament director, who floated the idea of standardizing the scoring format such that men and women play best-of-five matches from the quarterfinals on.

“I’m not afraid of five sets,” Zheng said eagerly, citing her multiple marathon matches with rival Coco Gauff. “I would say I’d benefit from it, and I’ve always wondered the feeling of playing five sets, so maybe one day I’ll have a chance to try.”

In the meantime, the 23-year-old will prepare to face big-serving American Alycia Parks in best-of-three face-off in Doha's second round.