“Rafa comes to me”: Zheng Qinwen recalls heartwarming encounter with Nadal

Zheng Qinwen spoke about how she took inspiration from a great gesture Rafael Nadal had with her. The Paris 2024 gold medalist talked about the time she met the 22-time Grand Slam champion, and the kindness Nadal showed in approaching her.

The world No. 8 played this week at the Madrid Open, suffering an early elimination in her debut after falling to Anastasia Potapova (4-6, 4-6). Zheng gave an interview to the Madrid Open YouTube channel, where one of the topics she addressed was her meeting with Nadal.

One of Zheng's inspirations in her burgeoning career was the former world No. 1, as she herself admitted a few months ago. “Of course, he inspires a lot to me. Even right now sometimes when I'm at a difficult moment, I will think how strong Rafael Nadal's mentality is in the tennis,” Zheng commented in October 2024, a few days after the Spaniard's announcement that he would definitively retire from professional tennis.

Previously, Zheng commented that the first time she saw him, she couldn't ask for a photo or autograph due to her shyness. During the interview, the 22-year-old player acknowledged that over time she managed to take a photo with the 14-time Roland Garros champion.

“Oh that's funny because my coach Pere (Riba) he's from Spain,” she commented. “I didn't ask the picture from Nadal because I don't want to disturb him. We all know the player don't want to get disturbed when you are on site so I think they chat together and after that Nadal comes to me and say ‘hey do you want to take a picture’. I say yes, that's how it start.”

Zheng acknowledged that she took inspiration from Nadal's gesture and tries to do the same as him when it comes to approaching fans. “After I see many times to another players do that, when I face the young kid you know the young kid that always shy sometimes ask you for the picture. “When I saw them I would do the same like what Rafa did to me, ‘hey come for a picture before they ask it to me’.”

The world No. 8 had a rapid rise on the WTA Tour, which at 22 years old has her among the best in the world. In 2022, she was awarded WTA Newcomer of the Year after reaching her best ranking as world No. 25, advancing more than 100 positions in the ranking.

Then in 2023, she was named WTA Most Improved Player of the Year, reaching the top 15, and in early 2024, she reached her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, losing to Aryna Sabalenka. This also propelled her into the top 10, where she has remained for 15 months and had a best ranking of world No. 5 at the end of 2024. Her greatest achievement came at the Olympic Games, where she surprised everyone by winning the gold medal.