Zheng Qinwen and Novak Djokovic, fresh from their Olympic gold medal victories, have returned to action at the 2024 US Open. Zheng Qinwen kicked off her campaign with a hard-fought three-set win over American Amanda Anisimova, prevailing 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The Chinese, who is the first from her country to win an Olympic gold in tennis, was asked about her medal during the on-court interview following her victory. She responded that she didn’t have her medal with her at that moment, before mentioning Djokovic, joking that she knew he would always carry his medal with him.
“Like you said.. I don’t have my gold medal with me,” Zheng Qinwen said. “But I know Djokovic has his medal with him, that was amazing.”
Qinwen, who has previously expressed admiration for Djokovic, also said that she doesn’t believe in dwelling on past accomplishments. Instead, she is focused on performing well in her upcoming tournaments. She also expressed gratitude to her fans for their support.
“I’m happy about what I did in the past. I just want to focus here. Thanks for all the crowd coming to support me today,” she added.
Zheng said that she approaches each tournament with a fresh perspective, beginning from scratch regardless of her previous performance. She emphasized that she didn’t view herself as an Olympic champion ahead of the US Open but rather as any other player looking to compete fiercely in every match.
“I had this experience already, so this time when I had success in Olympic Games, to come to next tournament, I say, everything starts zero,” the 21-year-old said.
“You are not anymore Olympic champion. Just be humble and trying to work, fight every single match, because if you don’t fight, you have a big chance you lost,” she added.
Olympic champions Zheng QInwen, Novak Djokovic headline Day 1 of 2024 US Open
Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 US Open (Image via Getty)
Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 US Open (Image via Getty)
Having defeated Amanda Anisimova in her opening match at the US Open, Zheng Qinwen is now set to face young sensation Erika Andreeva in the second round.
Fellow Olympic champion Novak Djokovic will also be in action on Day 1 of the US Open, taking on Radu Olbot in their opening round.
Zheng’s most impressive performance at the US Open came last year, when she reached the quarterfinals, defeating Ons Jabeur and Kaia Kanepi along the way. Djokovic, on the other hand, is a four-time champion of the tournament.