Zheng Qinwen is back at Roland Garros – precisely the place where she won the Olympic gold medal back in 2024. However, over the past year, the Chinese player has been largely away from the courts, and her reality has changed significantly compared to what happened in Paris almost two years ago.

After reaching the top 5 back in 2024 – finishing the year as world No. 4 – it was expected that Zheng would take another step forward and challenge the top names on the tour. However, injuries have kept her out, and she has played only six tournaments since last July.

This clay swing, the Chinese player now appears to be physically recovered after competing in Madrid and the Rome Open consecutively, with three wins and two losses on the surface so far. Zheng is aiming for a strong performance in Paris after several intense training weeks following her third-round exit in Rome.

She will face a tricky first-round opponent in Maja Chwalinska, a qualifier whose main career successes have come on clay courts – including three WTA 125 titles. “I think the preparation has been good for me,” she said in the press conference. “Especially I had a good training block after Rome, so that's a good start.”

The 23-year-old player commented in the press conference that although she has not achieved her best results in recent months, she feels she has shown a good level since returning to the courts.

“Since I arrived on the clay court season, I had a few great matches,” she said before her French Open debut. “Of course, the result is not the way that I want. I felt I still need that extra push, extra energy in the important moments.

Because, as you can see, the last two matches I lost both in the third set, which is really close. And I also had a lot of chances in the second set. So I think my level is there. The difference is mental. Because it's been a while since I competed, and now I'm finally able to keep my concentration for a long time during all the matches. I've been working hard on it.”

Zheng will have the difficult task of defending the quarterfinal points she reached in 2025 in order not to continue dropping in the rankings. She is currently ranked No. 53 and will debut this Monday against Chwalinska – an absolute debutant playing her first main draw at Roland Garros.

Zheng Qinwen showed her strong ability on clay courts early in her career. In her very first appearance at Roland Garros back in 2022, she reached the Round of 16 at just 19 years old, defeating former French Open champion Simona Halep along the way.

Since then, Zheng has recorded several deep runs on clay and won three titles on the surface. A year ago, she reached the semifinals at the Rome Open and the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.

However, her biggest achievement was undoubtedly the Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024 – when she eliminated four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek on the Philippe Chatrier Court, a place where at that time the Polish player seemed practically unbeatable.

“I feel coming back here is like coming back to my dream place,” Zheng told journalists at Roland Garros, smiling. “Because I had the best experience so far in 2024, and really good experience as well last year.

Like I said, I'm trying to keep my concentration as long as I can in practice, and I'm also curious to see what I'm going to do this year after coming back from injury. Because I really love to play here in Roland-Garros, and as I always say, I want to stay as long as I can.”

A year ago, Zheng reached the top 5, played her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open 2024, and won the Olympic gold medal. However, injuries have caused her to lose her place among the top players. Since Wimbledon 2025, she has played only six tournaments and has missed a significant number of events – including the Australian Open at the start of the year.

“There are a lot of things I can learn from the injury time,” said the gold medallist. “For example, decision making. Before taking a decision, trying to ask more experts. Like this, maybe I could have made better decisions at that moment.

I could come back faster to the tour, not take so long. I missed the Australian Open—that was not the plan. So I learned a lot from that mistake, and it was really tough for me,” Zheng explained. “But right now it's a new page again for me, coming back from injury, which I've never done before—for such a long time without tennis.

And of course I missed the tour. I always said, wow, after such a long time I didn't come back, I miss everyone here, even the opponents. Because I love competing against Monfils, I love the fighting spirit there.”