World No. 7 Jen Qingwen joins the WTA Insider Podcast to talk about how she's staying grounded after reaching her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open.
“I would like to say that 'stolen goods' is not quite there yet,” Chung said on the podcast. “It’s still early in the year and I still have a long way to go, so I’m still trying to find myself.
“I just try to be myself, stay humble and try not to overthink it.”
Listen to the full interview below.
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The 21-year-old from China has skyrocketed up the Hologic WTA Tour rankings over the past two seasons. Although she had not yet made her top 100 debut when the 2022 season began, she finished the year ranked 25th and she was named WTA Newcomer of the Year.
Her rise continued last year, winning her first two WTA titles and reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open. Once again, the locker room attracted her attention, and her colleagues presented her with the WTA Player of the Year award.
A few months later, she received a hug from her idol Li Na and became the second Chinese woman to rank in the WTA top 10. It would be easy for all of that to come to Mr. Chung's mind. But, as she explains, she's too ambitious to be cocky.
“I think confidence is always deep inside me, and as my tennis gets better and better, that confidence shows on the court,” Chung said. “But being too confident can sometimes be a bad thing, because once you reach a high, you can get even more depressed. I try to keep this quote in mind. You have to find a balance.”
“Right now I’m in a good position with confidence, but at the same time I’m keeping my eyes open.”
For Chung, tennis was as much a tool for self-discovery as it was a career. She talks about the culture clash she experienced when she first left China to train in Barcelona and travel the world.
“When you're young and you don't know anything, everything is very curious and exciting,” Zheng said. “But when you start to know a little more about other cultures, it actually becomes confusing.
“Dear Chinese people, our emotions are more internal and we express them through our actions. Europeans and Americans are very open-minded. Sometimes you do little good things and they say, “That's great,” and you're just doing the little things right, but the Chinese think you're doing something good. They say, “Keep going, keep trying, you'll get there” because you're doing a lot of good.
“It's completely different.”
What is the secret to Mr. Zheng's success? Mix everything.
“I'm always trying to find out who I am,” she said. “I don't want to think I'm the best in the world. Obviously that's not the right way to think. But I don't want to get too low or think I'm not good enough. That's not the right way to think.” Others I think you're trying to figure out who you are and not be confused by what people are saying about you.
“Obviously, I'm still exploring who I am. Tennis teaches me a lot about who I really am.”
