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Qinwen Zheng Retires at China Open After Reinjuring Her Elbow

Qinwen Zheng retired in the third set of her match against Linda Noskova due to elbow pain.
Pat Benson|
Qinwen Zheng reinjured her surgically-repaired elbow at the China Open.
Qinwen Zheng reinjured her surgically-repaired elbow at the China Open. | IMAGO / VCG

This past week, Qinwen Zheng returned to the tennis court for the first time since Wimbledon. After suffering a first-round upset in London, Zheng underwent elbow surgery on July 18, missing almost four months of action.

The Chinese superstar made her highly anticipated return at the China Open in Beijing. Unfortunately, her homecoming was short-lived. After defeating Emiliana Arango in her first match back, Zheng had to retire during today's Round of 32 match against Linda Noskova.

Zheng called a medical timeout in the third set with the score: 4-6, 6-3, 0-3 in favor of Noskova. It took less than 25 seconds of speaking with the physio before Zheng gave the signal that she was retiring mid-match.

The commentators speculated what could have been wrong as Zheng sat down for the timeout, but they realized the severity of the matter when the physio began examining her elbow.

"Oh, yikes. That's what we were afraid of. Didn't even want to say it," said one announcer before Zheng called it.

"Well, it's just her second match since Wimbledon, and she, of course, had an orthoscopic surgery, but it looks as if Qinwen Zheng is going to say 'No Mas,' and that is a shame for the Chinese faithful. But perhaps, wise. Some opined that it might have been a little too early for Zheng."

As the announcers discussed on the broadcast, some fans were worried that Zheng rushed back from her injury to play in front of her home fans in the China Open. However, in late August, Zheng returned to Switzerland, where she received a positive assessment from an orthopedic specialist.

Zheng fielded questions from the media after the match. When asked what she felt and why she decided to retire, Zheng replied, "Yeah, because keeping playing by a lot of repetition, I start to feel a bit more, which is normal. I already expect that."

When asked if she will need to take more time off, Zheng said, "It's tough questions. I need to double-check with the MRI to see how it's going after two matches. There's one three-set matches, how's going inside my elbow?

I think it's still quite positive to keep playing tennis, because that's how you break the barrier. At the same time, I got to be smart. I knew already in the second set I couldn't push more. So right now, I see, okay, maybe I can play first set, but to arrive to third set is too much for my elbow. I believe with time is going to be better."

Zheng later explained in answer, "The pain only exists when I serve, even with that, I was happy with the serve tonight. The thing I could have improved was my mentality. I was hesitating whether I should be whether I should proceed, especially in the second set."

The last question of the press conference was about the mental challenge of coming back from an injury, and Zheng took exception with the premise.

"I don't agree with this question. It's not about the back and forth of the injury. I am here to assess the recovery level of my elbow. I said this before the match. I'm not playing at 100%. I'm playing with pain, but the pain should be manageable. As long as it is beyond my control, this is the first time in my life to have surgery like this. I will not be too aggressive against such a backdrop. I have to consider a long longer professional career."

Last season was the breakout year of Zheng's career. Not only did she make history by winning a gold medal for China in the Paris Olympics, but she finished the campaign with a career-best year-end singles ranking of No. 5.

After losing to Coco Gauff in the WTA Finals, Zheng lamented her shortened offseason. The rising star had very little time off due to numerous sponsorship obligations, events, and campaign photo shoots.

She began the year wearing an elbow sleeve and wore it all the way through Wimbledon. The World No.9 has a record of 20-12 with zero titles and could lose a lot of ranking points if she misses significant time during the Asian Swing.

The China Open runs through October 1, 2025. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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Published | Modified
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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