"I don't consider myself the Roland-Garros champion," Zheng discusses her Olympic gold medal
Although Qinwen Zheng has never won Roland-Garros, she has claimed a major title at this very venue: the 2024 Olympic Games.
During her run, she defeated Iga Świątek in the semifinals. In a press conference after her victory over Liudmila Samsonova, she made a clear distinction between the two events.
"It's true I won the gold medal here last year, but I don’t consider myself the defending champion of Roland-Garros, since it was Iga Świątek who won the tournament.
It’s different: in a Grand Slam, you play seven matches, and at the Olympics, you need six to win gold. I know I beat her here last time; I was very confident on clay, but I don’t see myself as the defending champion.
Right now, I’m in the quarterfinals; I think I’m still far from it, so I just want to stay calm and fight for every match. I’ve forgotten about last year; I just want to battle for every moment of this Roland-Garros."
Zheng will have her work cut out for her in the quarterfinals as she faces Aryna Sabalenka this Tuesday.
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