Qinwen Zheng won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she was also in the middle of multiple controversies, and her final opponent, Donna Vekic, added a bit of fuel to the fire.
The Croatian player didn't hold back when she said that there are many controversial stories about the Chinese player. Zheng isn't a player who would create headlines in any negative way, as she usually lets her tennis do the talking.
However, apparently, there are a lot of things that happen in the background that fans don't get to see. According to multiple colleagues from the WTA Tour, Zheng is a very controversial player, or at least there is a lot of controversy around her name.
She has been involved in a few incidents here and there, most notably the one with Naomi Osaka's current coach. Wim Fisette left her team to rejoin Osaka without much notice.
The Chinese player felt that she was wronged by that and quite publicly said that she would never forgive him. More recently, she had an incident with Emma Navarro, who was one of her opponents at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The American blasted Zheng as a player she doesn't respect, which was quite shocking. Navarro didn't specify why, but she did say that Zheng goes about things on the court in a very 'cut-throat way', which doesn't make for a pleasant locker room.
Zheng had a response to that, saying she wasn't aware of anything that her opponent could not like. But now, her final opponent, Vekic, added fuel to the fire, saying that the Chinese player purposefully distracted her during that final at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
"She kept delaying the service. As soon as someone's voice was heard or someone moved in the audience. She took time-outs completely incorrectly. We cannot expect spectators to sit like statues. There are also a lot of controversial stories about her, but I won't talk about that now."
Unfortunately, the gamesmanship that Vekic noted has been present in tennis for a long time. Plenty of tennis players try to abuse the 'racket lift', as there aren't any rules against it for now.
Ultimately, Vekic couldn't overcome the Chinese player in the final, and that's what mattered. It's why Zheng will walk away with the gold medal, but as Vekic said after the match, the Chinese player was better.
"I am extremely proud and happy to have won a medal for Croatia, I have fulfilled my life's dream. The day I won the semi-final was one of the happiest in my life. Now I'm a little disappointed because I wanted the gold, but Zheng was better. I can't forget or dismiss what I did in these weeks, I'm honest."
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