Former world number one
Martina Navratilova is hoping for
big things from China’s
Zheng Qinwen in 2024.
The 21-year-old is one of the most highly-rated young players
currently playing in the circuit in the women’s single category. Her impressive
performances in the last 12 months helped her reach to the 15th spot
in the WTA Ranking.
Navratilova, who is often regarded as one of the greatest players
in the history of women’s singles tennis in the Open era, having won as many as
18 Grand Slam titles, is hoping for big things from Qinwen next year.
“She is a big, big talent,” she said. “And I think she’ll be
more than motivated by the surprising departure of Fissette, who’s going back
to coaching Naomi Osaka. Yeah, she’s a woman on a mission and she’s certainly
the athlete to get it done. Depending on what her next coach does, how much she
buys into it, she’s a player to be reckoned with in the future.”
Qinwen won her first
two titles in 2023. She won the WTA 250 event in Palermo after defeating Jasmine
Paolini in the final with a score of 6-4,1-6, 6-1. Last month in Zhengzhou, she
defeated Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova in the final with a score of 2-6,
6-2, 6-4 to lift another title.