Zheng Qinwen confirmed what many feared would happen as the Chinese tennis star is out of Wuhan and Ningbo after suffering a setback in her post-surgery return.
Last weekend, the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist kicked off her post-elbow surgery comeback in Beijing. In the Chinese capital, the world No. 9 made a winning start and beat Emiliana Arango, before retiring in the third set of her match against Linda Noskova.
After requiring a medical timeout for an elbow issue and later admitting that she felt pain and discomfort in her operated area, Zheng said she would have an MRI. Now, a couple of days later, the top-ranked Chinese female tennis player announced her withdrawal from the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan and the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo.
Zheng: After consulting with the doctors, I decided to withdraw from Wuhan
Since last year's Wuhan Open final, I've been looking forward to returning to my hometown and playing my best tennis in front of you all. Unfortunately, my body hasn't fully recovered to its best shape. After consulting doctors and discussing with my team, I sadly have to withdraw from this year's Wuhan Open. the home star said in a video message posted by the Wuhan tournament.
The Ningbo organizers also uploaded a Zheng video message, where the Chinese announces her withdrawal.
After retiring against Noskova, the 2024 Australian Open finalist admitted that she rushed with her comeback. However, she also noted that she wanted to give a try to Beijing and see how her elbow would react.
It remains to be seen if Zheng will play any tournaments in the rest of 2025.
