AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2024

Zheng Qinwen

Press Conference

ZHENG QINWEN/O. Dodin

6-0, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: You're into the quarterfinals here. Talk about how pleased you are with your performance today.

ZHENG QINWEN: Yeah, I'm quite, like, happy with my performance today 'cause I finished match really fast compared to the three rounds before.

Of course, there is something I can do better on court. But, generally, I'm quite enough with my performance today.

THE MODERATOR: Who would like the first question?

Q. You are the highest ranked player in the top half of the draw now in the quarterfinals. Could you have imagined that before the tournament started?

ZHENG QINWEN: No, because you never know what's happen in tennis, right? Basically you just focus on the opponent in front of you. Doesn't matter how the other do.

Anyway, you need to play seven matches to be able to get to the finals, yeah. That's how it is. I didn't think that far, yeah.

Q. You're the only one in this section that has quarterfinal experience at a Grand Slam. Do you think that's of great benefit to you?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, it's tough to say like this 'cause I think the people who arrive to quarterfinal, for sure they're all feeling really well in this tournament. They're all going to give their best.

I just can play my tennis and let's see what can happen. You can't really say if it's big benefit or no. It's one player against another player, and we will compete, yeah.

Q. What have you learned in your career? Earlier in your career you would have played a lot of times as the underdog, lower-ranked player playing against top-ranked player. Now more and more you play against lower-ranked players. How have you learned how to manage the difference between those two things, being able to play as a favorite compared to an underdog?

ZHENG QINWEN: I remember the first time arrive on the tour, and I play everybody has better ranking than me. Especially when I face the slam champions, you are going to enter the court and feel those pressure. Sometimes I get overexcited.

But right now, got these two years' experience. Like you say, I start to face the people who are lower than me. I come on the court. I feel I have those confidence.

Of course, you're excited always to compete, but you can manage in the balance of excited how much you need, yeah. Right now I just feels more peace than before. I remember that before there was lot of up and downs, right? Now it's just more stable.

Q. In terms of making a quarterfinal in the very next slam after you made your first one, what does that tell you about your progress, about where you are right now that you can maintain that stability at the slams?

ZHENG QINWEN: Yeah, I think it's really important to have the stabilities. If you got the stability, you have a better chance to won, of course. If you don't have the stability, it's like you toss a coin and we will see what's happen today.

Of course, now this result shows that I'm not like this. I have those stable in my tennis. Of course, now I would not say really break something because I just wants to focus on the moment, don't think too much, like what Li Na told me last time. Yeah, that's all.

Q. You've mentioned Li Na's advice a couple of times. Have you been able to put that immediately into effect? Normally you're trying to stay calm and stay in the moment anyway, but are those words from her echoing in your ears?

ZHENG QINWEN: It's really simple advice: don't think too much. But sometimes when you enter on court, it's tough to do it.

I think at the end the simple things will really helps on the tennis court. That's what I'm trying to do. At the end I find out if you really focus in the basic things, you will shows up good things on the tennis.

Q. On making a quarterfinal again, now that you've done it again, does it seem as difficult to do as it might have seemed before the US Open when you were still trying to get the quarterfinal? Does it feel easier?

ZHENG QINWEN: Well, if you look my rounds before, I would not consider it easy match because I had two three-set, and third round tiebreaker was really intense.

Of course, I have more experience compared to the first time, but I will never say it comes easier. In the slams I think everybody just raise up their level, trying to give all they can, yeah. I mean, it's tough always in the slam 'cause you need to manage all those pressures.

I would just say, yeah, let's keep going and do what I can do, and then we see what happen.