after ending her 24-game losing streak, veteran zhang shuai talked about the reasons for her persistence after qualifying for the china open
2024-09-25
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"15 years ago, i won the first wta match of my career here. 15 years later, still here, in front of my hometown folks, i finally ended my losing streak. thank you for your enthusiasm, which gave me such great strength." after the game, zhang shuai stood in the center of the court and said with a slight sob.
on the evening of september 25, in the first round of the 2024 china open women's singles, chinese veteran zhang shuai fought to a tiebreak in both sets, and finally defeated american player kessler 2-0 to advance to the second round, ending her 24-game losing streak in singles.
although she recently won the women's doubles runner-up at the us open and wta500 seoul station, zhang shuai has suffered an embarrassing 24-game losing streak in singles. in the past, zhang shuai has won the grand slam women's doubles championship twice, and her highest ranking in women's doubles has reached the world no. 2; in january 2023, zhang shuai's wta world ranking rose to no. 22, creating her highest singles ranking in her career.
but she suffered injuries and couldn't get back to her form. last year, she suffered a misjudgment at the wta 250 budapest, which caused her to withdraw in tears. after that, she was injured for a long time and only returned to the dubai tennis championships in february this year, but she was eliminated in the first round.
zhang shuai continued to be eliminated in the first round of the singles competition at this year's us open, but she bravely said: "i firmly believe that everything is not over. through the recent competitions, my gains and confidence far outweigh the setbacks. adversity is always a cornerstone on our life path, and failure divides people into different groups. it's not like i haven't stood at the bottom of the valley before. the scenery along the way of climbing up is far more colorful than what can be seen at the top of the mountain!"
then she won the us open doubles and finally won the runner-up. a few days ago, she and her partner won the women's doubles runner-up in the wta 500 seoul station. today, with the wild card qualification, the 35-year-old zhang shuai once again stood in the first round of the women's singles of the china open.
zhang shuai's opponent in the first round was american player kessler, who was born in 1999 and ranked 65th in the world. at the beginning of the first set, zhang shuai was broken by her opponent's serve. it was not until the 10th game that zhang shuai broke back and tied the score to 5-5. after that, both sides held their serve and the game entered a tiebreak. zhang shuai showed the stability of a veteran and won 7-5, leading 1-0.
in the second set, zhang shuai broke the serve first, but was immediately broken back by her opponent, and the two sides fought to 4-4; in the crucial ninth game, zhang shuai had the opportunity to break the serve and take a 5-4 lead, but she failed to hit the ball over the net on the break point, missed a great opportunity, and was eventually held by her opponent. the two sides then fought to a tiebreak again, and veteran zhang shuai kept her composure and played steadily, eventually winning 7-1 and winning the game 2-0. in the next round, zhang shuai's opponent is the no. 6 seed, american player navarro.
after the game, zhang shuai said that she had not participated in a formal competition in china for five years. she said: "i came back after five years. everyone knows that i am not young anymore. during these five years, i have always wanted to show my best in front of my hometown folks, fans and you."
after a short break, zhang shuai accepted another interview. she said: "in fact, i am not particularly frustrated about the long losing streak, because i know that my physical condition was not good before. if you are not in good physical condition, you can't beat any opponent in this circle."
zhang shuai said: "after the start of the north american season, although my results were average, the quality of each game was very good. i know that i am by no means useless. my opponents and their coaches all told me that i must continue to play singles. they think i play very well. some even say that i am more energetic now than before and i am still improving. although they are opponents, they are actually my friends. their encouragement makes me understand that the direction of my efforts is correct. if i keep working hard, victory will surely come."
regarding the victory in this match, zhang shuai believes that there is no problem with her body and physical fitness, and there is no problem playing another set. zhang shuai said: "this match has greatly boosted my self-confidence. now, there is no problem with my body. i even think that my physical condition is better now than 10 years ago or 8 years ago. this is the biggest confidence that i dare to continue to stand on the court."
source: beijing sports
reporter: deng fangjia, zhuoran
