Comments on: Zheng Jie Kindling Major Growth of Chinese Tennis

By: Cat

Cat — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:23:05 +0000

From what I’ve read, Zheng has mentioned she would like to focus more on singles this year, but she’ll still team up with Yan in the bigger tournaments, like the Grand Slams. Let’s hope she’ll continue to succeed in both singles and doubles.

By: Marija

Marija — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:29:06 +0000

Thank you, Diane.

I would like to see Zheng continue her singles rise. If she can do that without neglecting doubles, even better.

By: Diane

Diane — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:51:53 +0000

Great choice, Marija. Zheng also holds the distinction of being a highly-ranked doubles player who suddenly broke through in a big way in singles. Will she now put more emphasis on singles, or will she continue to concentrate on her high doubles ranking? It’s possible to do both (Petrova, Hantuchova, etc.) well, provided you are healthy. Yan and Zheng are a great team, and I hope they keep going.

By: Marija

Marija — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:16:52 +0000

I hope she will do well in 2009, I would love to see her make it big. A bigger impact of Chinese tennis in the future would also be a breath of fresh air. It would be interesting.

It was a pleasure writing for your blog, as always.

By: Aaress Lawless

Aaress Lawless — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:42:53 +0000

Marija,

Jie Zheng played remarkably at Wimbledon last year, and like you mentioned, it was not a case of beginners luck. One win could have been termed an upset; a semifinal finish is a solid and consistent performance.

I think she can go higher in 2009. She has the backing of an eager, if somewhat unorthodox and restricting tennis federation, who are anxiously looking for a big champion. Their Beijing Olympic dreams were crushed, but at least they saw in Zheng what could happen in the future if their stars stay focused and dedicated to the sport.

Thank you for your article!