"Everything is easier with power" - Zheng on her idol Serena Williams
WTA
Qinwen Zheng's powerful style has seen the young Chinese player make considerable improvements this season, and she revealed that Serena Williams inspired how she plays.
Serena and her sister Venus Williams transformed women's tennis when they emerged on the WTA Tour in the 1990s. Although strong baseline hitting existed before the pair made their professional debuts, it was not as prevalent.
The American sisters played with a level of consistent power and athleticism that had never been seen before in the women's game. That led to dozens of players putting a greater emphasis on baseline hitting and being physically strong.
Serena ended her career as a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and is broadly considered the best female player ever. Williams bid farewell to tennis at this year's US Open in front of her home fans.
Zheng was one of the most improved players on the WTA Tour in 2022. The 20-year-old began the year ranked No. 143 but jumped a massive 118 places to finish the season at an impressive No. 25.
Williams and Zheng's games are not identical, but the aggression and power Zheng plays with means there are similarities. In an interview, Zheng discussed being inspired by the 23-time Grand Slam champion as a child.
"When I was little I looked up to Serena Williams. I loved her style of play, her aggressive strokes, her charisma, her tremendous forehand. When a girl has that kind of power in the game, everything is so much easier. It doesn't hurt if you also have fast feet, and besides her, I also looked up to Kim Clijsters."
Besides Williams and Clijsters, Zheng also looked up to Li Na, the first player from Asia to win a Grand Slam at the 2011 French Open before also securing the 2014 Australian Open.
"Of course, she [Li Na] took care of writing the history of Asian tennis, as she was the first to win the Big Four tournaments."
