Qinwen Zheng has enjoyed much success with her coach, Pere Riba. However, Zheng will need to manage without him at the 2025 Australian Open.
Zheng enjoyed one of the most impressive WTA seasons in 2024. She started the year with a shock run to the Australian Open final, losing to Aryna Sabalenka, who finished this season as the world No. 1.
The Chinese player's form dipped after that for a few months. That may have been due to the increased expectations and attention she received after being the runner-up to Sabalenka in Melbourne.
However, she returned to form spectacularly after Wimbledon. She prepared for the Olympic Games by winning the Palermo Open, overcoming Karolina Muchova in three sets after one of the most underrated finals of 2024.
Zheng then had a stunning run to an Olympic gold medal in the women's singles. Iga Swiatek was an overwhelming favorite to claim gold since the event was held at Roland Garros, where she won four French Open titles.
But a superb performance from Zheng, an error-strewn one from Swiatek, saw the Australian Open runner-up win their semifinal. A triumph against Donna Vekic in the gold medal match confirmed the biggest moment of Zheng's career.
In stark contrast to her form after the Australian Open, Zheng continued to perform well until the end of 2024. She was a quarterfinalist at the US Open and the runner-up on home soil at the Wuhan Open, falling to Sabalenka in both tournaments.
Zheng came incredibly close to finishing her season in style. The 22-year-old led by a set and a break in the final of the WTA Finals and served for the championship against Coco Gauff, but the American fought back astonishingly to win the season-ending tournament.
Still, Zheng can be very proud of her achievements in 2024. She is one of five players nominated for the WTA Player of the Year award. Gauff is among the other four women shortlisted for the honor.
Riba has played a crucial role in Zheng's success. He was initially her coach from 2021 until mid-2023, helping the Olympic gold medalist rise from No. 169 to No. 7 and win the 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year award.
After a successful few months working with Gauff, which included the 20-year-old's US Open title win, Riba resumed working with Zheng in December 2024 after Wim Fissette left her to begin what turned out to be an unsuccessful second period with Naomi Osaka.
Zheng and Riba sometimes argue during matches, but the Spanish coach says that is because his player cares so much, and she is a very kind and friendly person off the court.
MARCA reports that Zheng will have to manage without Riba at the 2025 Australian Open because he has to undergo surgery for hip pain. An accident in April 2018 caused him to suffer a hip injury, which led to his retirement from professional tennis in 2020.
Riba continues to struggle with hip pain and feels surgery is needed to manage the issue. MARCA's report also states that Dante Bottini will accompany Zheng at the Australian Open in Riba's place.
Bottini is the former manager of Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov, Nicolas Jarry, and Juncheng Shang. Taking Riba's place, albeit temporarily, will not be easy, but Bottini must try his best to cover for the Spaniard's absence.