Zheng Jie gets the Jay-Z treatment

I have a confession to make: I've been referring to Zheng Jie as "Jay-Z" for years now. I call her that partially because if you go out of your way to flip and

Courtney Nguyen | Jan 5, 2012

I have a confession to make: I've been referring to Zheng Jie as "Jay-Z" for years now. I call her that partially because if you go out of your way to flip and intentionally mangle her name, it can come out sounding like "Jay-Z." But I also call her that because of her impressive ability to upset top players and make a Wimbledon semifinal, all while playing a low-margin, flat-hitting power game with her 5-foot-4 frame. To rise up and defy the odds to become a player in the game? It doesn't get more gangster than that.

All that is to say, Zheng had plenty of swag before the Auckland tournament decided to actually transform her into Jay-Z and show her how to get that dirt off her shoulder. I can't wait for the 99 Problems piano remix.

Published Jan 5, 2012

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.