Zheng Qinwen recently shared her reasons for maintaining a distance from other WTA players. The Chinese athlete believes that forming friendships with competitors can distract her from focusing on matches against them, potentially diminishing her competitive edge.
Qinwen was at the center of a controversy earlier this year when Emma Navarro said that she does not respect the Chinese player as a competitor. The American called Qinwen "cut-throat" and someone who "makes for a locker room that doesn’t have a lot of camaraderie."
Coming into the fag end of the season, Qinwen pulled off some impressive performances in the Asian swing to leapfrog Navarro and qualify for the WTA Finals.
Currently, in Saudi Arabia, the 22-year-old was asked if she has friends on tour or if she prefers to keep her distance. She discussed her perspective on friendships within the WTA circuit, emphasizing her preference for maintaining a distance from her competitors.
"My answer is very clear: I prefer always keep distance with the player. Has a lot of competition with me. I am, like, type of sensitive with the heart," Zheng Qinwen said during a press conference.
"I don't feel if I become friend with someone and I have to compete with them on court, I feel I'm not able 100% focus and fighting. When I have to scream, C'mon, I'm not able to do that because I will feel a bit weird," she added.
For her, cheering for a friend can feel strange, as her natural inclination is to want them to succeed in life, which contrasts with the competitive nature of tennis.
"Once I figure out that, I decided don't try to make a friend on tour because there's so many people outside of tennis world. Why I have to just make friends here? I come here to compete with them, to win the match," she continued.
Zheng Qinwen tries to avoid extensive interactions with other competitors at the WTA Finals 2024
During the same press conference, Zheng Qinwen was further asked if she was engaging in a conversation with the rest of the competitors at the WTA Finals. She said:
"We are just saying hello. Sometimes say congrats to your great season. No more talk with no more people. I never go for more. I don't try to go for more, as well, yeah."
Qinwen, placed in the Purple Group, will kick off her campaign in Riyadh against Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday (Nov. 2). The second match of the day will feature Jasmine Paolini taking on Elena Rybakina, also from the Purple Group.
Meanwhile, the Orange Group includes Iga Swiatek, Barbora Krejcikova, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.