From Na Li to Qinwen Zheng, China's flourishing on the women's circuit

Coach Pere Riba talks about the importance of references, that in tennis they have historically been essential to create a school and that China, without any tennis tradition, a residual sport there, seems to be finding inspiration: “They are seeing that It could be up there.

But it is essential that someone breaks barriers.”

That someone has been seen these days in Melbourne Park, where they remember what happened a decade ago.

Then, a tennis player named Na Li, 31 years old when she was crowned champion, won the Australian title after having previously lost two finals and having conquered the Paris arena in 2011.

The girl Qinwen Zheng saw it on television, who is progressing today, warns and raises her arm, inspired by that woman who made the way: hey, world of tennis, here I am.

At 21 years old, the Asian player will play this Monday (around 12:00, Eurosport) her first quarterfinals of a Grand Slam against the French Océane Dodin, just after Carlos Alcaraz meets (9:00, same channel) with the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

And he stomps.

She is already 13th in the world, but specialists see enough potential in her to emulate Li's feats.

“I've seen that final more than ten times, she was an incredible tennis player,” she says, referring to the 2014 episode, with Dominika Cibulkova on the other side of the net.

“I met her once when I was a junior, but we had never met face to face.

She has recommended that I not think too much, that I keep everything simple.

And that's what I have to do,” she adds after the meeting between the two a few days ago.

More information

Djokovic stands up, the rest trembles

Li was part of China's national training system, the same one that continues to recruit young talents into winners today.

However, after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games he decided to undertake the “solo flight” due to serious disagreements with the sports authorities of his country.

The bet didn't go badly for him.

She chose her own path and after losing two Australian finals, one against Kim Clijsters (2011) and another against Victoria Azarenka (2013), she finally managed to score in Australia (2014).

Tired of the injections and after undergoing surgery four times to repair her knees, three surgeries on the right and another on the left, a year later she announced her withdrawal: “My body can't take it anymore.” .

Today it is Zheng who takes flight and runs.

She does it hand in hand with Riba, with whom she already worked a couple of years before the Catalan coach led the American Coco Gauff to celebrate the last US Open.

Together again, the duo promises.

“I started with her right before she turned 18.

At first she had very good shots, but she lacked a good base, solidity, so we trained a lot under the Spanish method.

And she has gone from less to more.

The evolution has been very good.

She has had a great preseason and is looking forward to it.

Two years ago she came here to play the qualifiers, and now she has done so as a seeded player,” the coach says.

Na Li celebrates a point during the 2014 final against Cibulkova.NARENDRA SHRESTHA (EFE)

Represented by the multinational IMG, she (right-handed, two-handed backhand, 1.78 tall) and Riba began working in Florida, but in this second stage they have preferred to settle in Barcelona.

Last year she won the Palermo and Zhengzhou trophies, and also won the Asian Games;

The previous one, the WTA designated her as a revelation player.

Now she continues to gain ground in the circuit and brands sense a chance in the always juicy Asian market.

“I tell him not to look too far ahead, to go day by day and do things well.

Let her be calm and not make movies… But she has a super-winning mentality,” says the Barcelonan.

“The mistake I made at the beginning of last year was focusing on results.

“She wanted too much, she didn't have her feet on the ground,” she commented this week, establishing herself as the great Chinese hope.

In addition to Zheng, the Asian country currently has six other representatives in the women's

top-100

;

They include her, Lin Zhu (32nd), Xinyu Wang (36th), Xiyu Wang (60th), Yue Yuan (61st), Zhuoxuan Bai (87th) and Yafan Wang (94th).

Paradoxically, almost all of them have received training abroad thanks to a network.

The same thing happens in the men's territory, where Zhizhen Zhang makes his presence known (54th) and Yibing Wu (119th) and Juncheng Shang (140th) offer clues that something is moving.

But it all started with Na Li.

You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on

Facebook

and

X

, or sign up here to receive

our weekly newsletter

.

Subscribe to continue reading

Read without limits

Keep reading

I am already a subscriber

_