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Fans drew comparisons between Zheng Qinwen and Maria Sharapova after the former's recent remarks about her preference to avoid friendships on the WTA Tour. Qinwen explained it would be difficult to focus on winning if she were friends with her competitor.
During a press conference on Friday, November 1, at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Qinwen was asked if she likes to make friends on the tour or prefers to keep her distance.
She replied that she prefers to maintain distance from other players. The 22-year-old feels that the competitive nature of the sport makes it difficult for her to balance friendship and rivalry.
"I prefer always keep the distance with the player. Has a lot of competition with me," Zheng Qinwen said.
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In her heart, Qinwen said she wants her friends to be happy and succeed in life but that conflicts with the competitive mindset needed in a tournament setting. Recognizing this, she decided not to form close friendships on tour.
Zheng Qinwen's comments from the press conference were posted on social media as fans drew comparisons between her and Sharapova, who had also previously explained her reluctance to make friends in the locker room.
"Right out of the Maria Sharapova textbook here," one fan wrote.
"Welcome back Maria Sharapova," another fan wrote.
"The Spirit of Sharapova lives, and I dig it. #WTAFinals," a third fan wrote.
Many fans reacted with admiration and understanding of Zheng Qinwen's situation.
"Very real of her actually," one fan wrote.
"I appreciate her honesty abouth this and it is an intersting approach... But I admit that I also find it a bit sad to hear that she doesn't even try to talk to other players. That's sound very lonely to me considering they all travel and work together (or against each other on court) 30+ weeks a year. That is a lot of time that she spends ignoring almost all people around her at tournaments," another fan wrote.
"She’s accepted that everyone hates her," yet another fan wrote.
"It's tough to have really good friends on the tour" - Maria Sharapova had a similar approach as Zheng Qinwen on the WTA Tour
Maria Sharapova once shared her thoughts on the difficulty of forming close friendships on tour.
"It's tough to have really good friends on the tour," she acknowledged in 2011 (via Tennis.com).
She found it challenging to have dinner with someone one night, only to face them on the court a couple of days later, because "at the end of the day, it’s an individual sport, and we are all very competitive."
The Russian explained that this competitiveness is a typical part of sports, where the goal is to outplay each other. Sharapova added that her closest support comes from her family, who often travel with her, rather than from friends on tour.
"I don't hang around in the locker room—it's my least favorite place in the world," she remarked.
Zheng Qinwen is set to begin her debut WTA Finals campaign on Saturday, November 2, against Aryna Sabalenka. The pair is drawn in the Purple Group alongside Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini.
The Orange Group comprises Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Barbora Krejcikova.
