"Zheng Qinwen is NOT making friends in locker room"; "She chose violence" - Fans amused by Olympics gold medalist's custom hoodie at Cincinnati Open

Paris Olympics gold medalist, Zheng Qinwen, is set to participate in the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Ahead of the event, Qinwen showed off her custom hoodie, prompting amusing reactions from fans.

The 21-year-old created history in Paris as she became the first Chinese tennis player to win an Olympic gold medal in the singles event. She defeated the likes of Emma Navarro, Angelique Kerber, Iga Swiatek, and Donna Vekic on the way to glory.

Like many of her WTA peers, Qinwen Zheng skipped the Canadian Open, choosing instead to begin her US Open series in Cincinnati. Ahead of the WTA 1000 event, Qinwen took to her Instagram to show off a custom hoodie which read:

"Medaling isn’t for everyone"

A fan posted a picture of the 21-year-old's Instagram Story on X (formerly Twitter) prompting amusing responses. Many fans brought up the comments made by Navarro, where the American described Qinwen as 'cut-throat' and claimed she does not respect the Chinese as a competitor.

"Emma Navarro when passing Qinwen in the locker room [angry emojis]," one fan wrote.

"Ooh the custom kits already been made," another fan wrote.

"She chose violence.. Good for you Qinwen," a third fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions to Qinwen's customized Nike hoodie.

"Wearing this in the US? lol Qinwen is NOT making friends in that locker room’s kumbya circle," one fan wrote.

"She is cutting throats in the locker room!!!" another fan wrote.

"I know Emma going to be mad when she sees her with this in the locker room," yet another fan wrote.

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Emma Navarro thinks Zheng Qinwen 'goes about things in a pretty cut-throat way'; Qinwen calls herself 'very friendly'

Zheng Qinwen at a press conference. (Image: Getty)

Emma Navarro and Zheng Qinwen played a hard-fought match in the third round of the 2024 Paris Olympics. They won a set each in tiebreakers before the Chinese dominated the decider to advance to the next round. At a post-match press conference, Navarro said of her opponent:

"I just told her [Zheng Qinwen] I didn't respect her as a competitor. I think she goes about things in a pretty cut-throat way. It makes for a locker room that doesn't have a lot of camaraderie, so it's tough to face an opponent like that, who I really don't respect," Navarro said [via Yahoo Sport].

However, Qinwen revealed she did not consider these comments an attack from the American. She mentioned that she is 'very friendly' but competition makes it difficult to forge friendships.

"I always say it's tough to make friends when you're always competing with each other in the sport. I am very friendly. But when I compete, it makes me feel like I can't really make friends. But if I don't have to compete against another athlete, I really want to share the story and hear how they grow and see this point of view," Qinwen said.

Navarro is currently competing in the Canadian Open while Qinwen will begin her hard-court season with the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati.