Pere Riba is a popular name in the tennis world! The 37-year-old Spaniard is a tennis coach and also a former professional player. In fact, Riba was the co-founder of GRTennis with Marcel Granollers, based in Barcelona, focusing on junior development and professional tennis players alongside Edu Gross from 2017 until 2020. In 2021, he became the coach of the Chinese tennis star Qinwen Zheng, and their partnership lasted till the 2023 French Open. Following that split, Riba joined Coco Gauff’s team and helped her clinch her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023. On the other side, after the split, Zheng hired the Belgian coach Wim Fissette. But their partnership didn’t last too long as the Belgian later chose to return to Naomi Osaka’s team. Has Zheng yet again reunited with Riba recently?

Well, just before the 2023 WTA Finals, Pere Riba left Coco Gauff’s coaching team citing personal reasons. Then, a few days later, Qinwen Zheng announced the return of Riba to her team through an IG post, which was captioned, “Reunited after some time apart, ready to embark on the journey together and prepare for the upcoming year.” In 2024, Zheng was one of the standout players in the WTA Tour. She started her season reaching the final of the AO and securing the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. She also won her fifth career title in Tokyo before making it to the finals at the WTA Finals. Owing to her impressive performance, Zheng was voted the 2024 WTA Fan Favorite and also earned the nod for the 2024 Shot of the Year.

Following that breakout season, Pere Riba was forced to leave her team as he was supposed to undergo a scheduled hip surgery at the end of the season. As a result, Zheng hired Kei Nishikori’s former coach, Dante Bottini, for the start of the 2025 season. Qinwen Zheng didn’t have a great start to her season; she made an early exit from the AO this year and had a pretty ordinary Middle-East swing. However, soon after Riba’s return to the team, Zheng reached the QF at the Indian Wells, Miami, and Charleston. In fact, she has now also reached the SF of the Italian, and guess who will be her opponent in the semis? 

Talking about his instant impact, Qinwen Zheng said, “I think the thing I missed the most is that he always pushes me hard on the court. He doesn’t allow me to get relaxed. That’s why I can keep going forward. When he wasn’t there for those 3 months, I had trouble with my body…I wasn’t able to practice 100%. Now it seems like I’m going in a good direction.” Talking about percentages, well, in November 2024, Zheng’s coach Riba claimed that he believes she has only reached “60%” of her potential after a breakthrough season.

During an interview with The National, Pere Riba said, “I have a lot of confidence in Qinwen because she has the tools, she has the weapons, every month is better. I don’t see that she’s at the top of her potential. To be honest, I think she is at 60% of what she can be. And this gives me a lot of confidence that she’s going to be one day there, I really believe that.” Not only that, he also said that Zheng has a “great heart” and she is an “amazing person” and when it comes to her potential, he believes winning a Grand Slam title in the near future is a “realistic option” for her. With the French Open knocking at the door, Zheng has a good chance of clinching a title at the Italian Open. But she’ll have to beat Coco Gauff first, in the SF. What does she have to say about this challenge?

“Got to Fight” – Qinwen Zheng Is Determined to Bring Out a Favorable Result Against the American

The world number 8, Qinwen Zheng, recently stunned everyone by beating Aryna Sabalenka by 6-4,6-3 in the QF of the Italian Open. This was her first win in their seven meetings! Following this incredible win, Zheng revealed the secret behind her success, saying, “The few times I faced her in the beginning, I gave her too much respect. I didn’t face her like a normal player. I remember I was going to see her in the 2017 China Open … My father was saying ‘Oh, you need to learn about her forehand, her backhand’. I think this kind of respect it takes a while to treat her like a normal player.”

Even against Coco Gauff, she is yet to open her account (0-2). What does she say ahead of this epic battle? In her on-court interview, Qinwen Zheng said, “She’s (Gauff)  really a consistent player on the clay court. Last year, I played against her here… It was a really difficult match for me. I just got to fight against her because you know both of us play really good tennis here, and it’s not going to be easy. But I’m going to do what I’ve to do on court, and let’s see.” In the 2024 Italian Open,  Gauff defeated Zheng by 7-6(4),6-1 in the QF. What’ll be the scoreline this time?

Well, Guaff’s other former coach, Brad Gilbert, recently picked his favorite for this blockbuster SF clash. Responding to a fan’s question on X, she gave a nod to her compatriot, saying, “Gauff beat her last year in Rome in straight sets.” Since Zheng managed to figure out a solution against Sabalenka, now it’ll be interesting to see if she can open her account against the world number 3.