2024-08-04
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Reporter of China Business Network: Wang Ziwei Editor of China Business Network: Wei Guanhong
"What is your aspiration?"
"I hope to win a Grand Slam title. If I have the chance, I can win glory for my country at the Olympics."
Earlier this year,Zheng QinwenHe said this in an interview with CCTV.
Half a year later, on August 1, 2024, in the women's singles semi-finals of the Paris Olympics tennis, Zheng Qinwen defeated the world's number one Polish star Swiatek and advanced to the final.
On August 3, Zheng Qinwen won the gold medal in the women's singles final of the Paris Olympics, defeating Croatian tennis player Vikic in two straight sets. This is the first gold medal in the history of Chinese women's singles tennis in the Olympics. On domestic social platforms, Zheng Qinwen directly triggered hot searches, and the discussion about her was no less heated than that of Li Na's entry into the Australian Open that year, and also attracted the attention of many sponsors.
Famous Chinese tennis player Li Na has been ranked among the top three in the annual Forbes list of world's highest-paid female athletes more than once. Zheng Qinwen's performance in the Olympic tennis competition has surpassed Li Na. According to incomplete statistics from the Daily Economic News, Zheng Qinwen currently has at least 10 brand sponsorships: Nike, Ant Group (Alipay), Rolex, Wilson, Swisher, McDonald's, Yili, Gatorade, Bawang Tea Princess, Lancome, etc.
"In recent years, brand sponsorship activities have shown signs of favoring athletes, especially female athletes." Zeng Wenli, a professor at the Guangzhou Sport Institute, told the China Business News that the athletes' spirit of hard work, perseverance, self-discipline and focus is also a very important element that brands need to use to enhance their own value.
Industry insiders said that Zheng Qinwen has become an international sports superstar and is very likely to have become the Chinese athlete with the highest commercial value at this stage.
"In fact, standing on the Olympic arena has been one of my wishes since I was a child. In fact, I started looking forward to the 2024 Olympics two years ago. I hope I can contribute to Chinese tennis in the Olympics, because I think if I can get a medal, it will definitely be a great thing." Zheng Qinwen said.
On the evening of August 1, Zheng Qinwen easily won the first set against world number one Swiatek; in the second set, she reversed the situation after falling behind, and finally defeated Swiatek with a total score of 2-0, creating the best record of Chinese female singles tennis players in the Olympic arena.
In the two matches before this one, Zheng Qinwen won after three hours of fierce battles. This semi-final allowed Zheng Qinwen to set many records: the first Asian and Chinese player to reach the Olympic women's singles final, the first to defeat the world's number one player...
In the championship battle on the evening of August 3rd Beijing time, Zheng Qinwen continued to make history - defeating Croatian tennis player Vikic to win the gold medal.
existWTAOn the official website, the 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen smiled confidently, and next to her was her ranking, which had not yet been updated: world No. 7. Three years ago, her ranking was 630th.
Zheng Qinwen was born in Shiyan, Hubei in October 2002. Her father, Zheng Jianping, was a track and field athlete. Zheng Qinwen's family atmosphere made her familiar with sports. When she was a child, Zheng Qinwen participated in running, table tennis, basketball and other sports, but she eventually chose tennis.
"Tennis is first and foremost an individual sport. I really like the feeling that winning or losing is in my own hands. The tennis court is very large, and it allows you to run freely and make many different technical choices," Zheng Qinwen said in a previous interview.
Zheng Qinwen started playing tennis at the age of 6 and began training for three hours every day. Zheng Qinwen is an offensive player with a domineering and tough playing style. She also has a fiery personality, so she got her nickname Fire.
According to an interview with her father Zheng Jianping, Zheng Qinwen could serve at a speed of 170 kilometers per hour (47 meters per second) when she was 12 years old. Zheng Qinwen herself recalled that it was the time when Serena Williams dominated the women's tennis world. As an offensive player, Serena Williams influenced Zheng Qinwen's playing style at the time. After that, Zheng Qinwen began to enrich herself in terms of movement and other aspects, hoping to become an all-around "hexagonal warrior".
Zheng Qinwen's professional career began in 2013. At her father's strong suggestion, she signed up for an open tournament for young tennis players around the world held by IMG Academy. IMG Academy is a famous training base that has trained many tennis stars. IMG is one of the world's largest and most extensive sports entertainment marketing management companies.NadalFamous tennis players such as Li Na, the first Asian to win a Grand Slam women's singles title, have signed contracts with IMG.
Zheng Qinwen made a big splash in this open tournament and successfully signed a contract with IMG. At the age of 11, Zheng Qinwen began his career as a professional tennis player. At the age of 13, Nike began to become Zheng Qinwen's sponsor.
In August 2020, Zheng Qinwen officially embarked on the journey of a professional player, and her world ranking was 630th at the beginning. In the following year or so, Zheng Qinwen participated in nearly 30 competitions. In the 2021 season, she won the W25 Hamburg Station in Germany, the W60 Czech Station, and the W25 Funchal Station in Portugal.
In 2022, Zheng Qinwen advanced to the top 16 in her first French Open and was elected WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2022. As a result, Zheng Qinwen's commercial value skyrocketed.
In August 2022, Zheng Qinwen became the "Chasing Light Ambassador" of Ant Group. In subsequent games, the Alipay and Nike logos appeared on Zheng Qinwen's jersey. Brands such as Yili also extended olive branches to Zheng Qinwen, and she also won first-tier player-level sponsors such as professional sports supply brand Gatorade and professional tennis brand Wilson.
In Forbes' 2023 list of global female athletes' income, Zheng Qinwen ranked 15th with US$1.7 million in prize money and US$5.5 million in sponsorship income.
In February this year, Zheng Qinwen won the runner-up in the Australian Open. In April, Bawang Tea Princess officially announced that Zheng Qinwen became the brand's first "health ambassador". As of now, according to incomplete statistics from the reporter of "Daily Economic News", Zheng Qinwen has at least 10 brand sponsorships: Nike, Alipay, Rolex, Wilson, Swish, McDonald's, Yili, Gatorade, Bawang Tea Princess, Lancome, etc.
Industry insiders believe that Zheng Qinwen's money-making potential is far more than this. Some netizens speculate that after Zheng Qinwen wins the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, her income may surpass Gu Ailing, or even surpass Li Na at her peak.
Comparing her with tennis star Li Na, after she won her first French Open title in 2011, she signed contracts with brands such as Haagen-Dazs, Rolex, and Mercedes-Benz, and was shortlisted for the top 10 of the world's highest-paid female athletes list selected by Forbes magazine that year.
In the 2012/2013 list of the world's highest-paid female athletes published by Forbes magazine, Li Na ranked third with an income of approximately 110 million yuan. In her subsequent career, she ranked among the top three in Forbes' annual list of the world's highest-paid female athletes more than once.
According to incomplete statistics from a reporter from the "Daily Economic News", before Li Na won the Australian Open in 2014, she had 13 sponsors, including Taikang Life Insurance, Nike, Kunlun Mountain Mineral Water, Australian Crown Travel Group (Crown Limited), sports brand Babolat, Yili, etc.
Another upstart athlete, Gu Ailing, saw her commercial value explode after the Beijing Winter Olympics. In Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid female athletes in 2023, Gu Ailing ranked second with $22.1 million. She earned $100,000 on the field, while the other $22 million came from commercial endorsements.
Industry insiders believe that Gu Ailing's close relationship with the Chinese market is one of the reasons why she has received so much attention. According to incomplete statistics from the reporter of the "Daily Economic News", before the Winter Olympics, Gu Ailing had endorsed more than 20 brands.
An industry insider told the reporter that brand sponsorship focuses on the vitality displayed by athletes and the good qualities such as "striving, striving, and never giving up" displayed in sports events. Zheng Qinwen's confidence, frankness, and international style both on and off the court are his commercial value.
"In recent years, brand sponsorship activities have shown signs of favoring athletes, especially female athletes." In an interview with a reporter from the "Daily Economic News", Zeng Wenli, a professor at the Guangzhou Sport Institute, said that in addition to the very high popularity and huge fan base of star athletes themselves, the athletes' spirit of hard work, perseverance, self-discipline and focus is also a very important element that brands need to use to enhance their own value.
"In addition, with the rapid rise of the global women's movement in recent years, brands need to consider keeping pace with social and cultural shifts," said Zeng Wenli.
Earlier this year, when asked whether he would feel more pressure as his ranking gradually rose, the 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen said that he could only live in the present. "When you pick up the racket to play, even if you lose a point, you can't go back to the past, and you can't go to the future. So your mind can only focus on the present. Because when your mind is focused on the present, I find that the ball I play is the most exciting."
"The future is unpredictable, the past cannot be changed, and the present is a good time to pursue dreams." This is what Zheng Qinwen wrote on her social media homepage. At the age of 21, Zheng Qinwen still has countless possibilities in her sports career and commercial value.
Daily Economic News
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