"I know how hard I worked to arrive here" - Qinwen Zheng on signing the letter by top ATP & WTA stars demanding more prize money from Grand Slams

Following the news that several members of the top 20 on the ATP and WTA tour affixed their names to a letter asking for more prize money from Grand Slam tournaments, China's Zheng Qinwen gave her opinion on why she supports the motion as her name was also included among tennis' top stars.

Zheng is currently competing at the Charleston Open, where she overcame being down a break in the final set to score a 6-3 3-6 6-3 round of 16 victory over Belgium's Elise Mertens. The third seed is coming off two consecutive quarterfinal appearances at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, where she fell to Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka respectively.

Prior to her match against Mertens, Zheng was asked why she co-signed the letter to the Grand Slam organizers. The World No.8 responded by highlighting her belief in rewarding the hardwork by all players on tour, not just the higher-ranked stars.

"I think that's going to be more beneficial for all the players, not just the top players," said Zheng. "Not only the top players but also for all the players who work hard during the year and need to get paid by all the Slams.
"They have to survive, and they also need to be able to pay for a good team, to have a good chance to win a match. So I think that's really positive because if you look at basketball, they all get paid 50/50 because the players are working really hard.
"I am a tennis player, I know how much I worked to arrive her so I believe that's really positive for us."