Zheng Qinwen is currently the only top-30 player who hasn't signed up for any tournament leading up to the Australian Open.
After losing to Katerina Siniakova in the Wimbledon first round, Zheng decided to address her lingering right elbow issue by undergoing arthroscopic surgery. Two and a half months after the surgery, the Chinese tennis star made a comeback at her home tournament in Beijing, where she beat Emiliana Arango in her opening match before retiring to Linda Noskova midway through the third set of their match. Following the Beijing retirement, the former world No. 4 shut down her 2025 season.
Now, as it stands, Zheng also won't play any tournaments in the opening two weeks of the new season.
Do you remember what Zheng said after retiring in Beijing?
Zheng dropped the opening set against Noskova, but took the second set to force a decider. There, Noskova opened an early 3-0 lead before the home star walked to the net and said that she was retiring.
Following the match, the 23-year-old revealed that she started to feel increased pain and discomfort in her elbow as the match progressed.
"I start to feel a bit more, which is normal. I already expect that. So I decided when the pain's going higher, [so I] don't damage the area, I should stop. I've been keep thinking on in the second set, so I keep pushing, pushing, until I say, like, OK, that's it," the 2024 Australian Open finalist said after retiring to Noskova in the Beijing third round.
It is worth mentioning that after a career-best season in 2024, Zheng said that she needed rest and opted to have the Australian Open as her first tournament of 2025. She was upset by Laura Siegemund in the Australian Open second round.
