The year 2022 was a special one in the life of Elina Svitolina. She welcomed her first child, daughter Skai, with Gael Monfils. Subsequently, she made a comeback on the court as a mother and has been a treat to watch for the fans, showing glimpses of her best form. Additionally, her gritty comeback also inspired some of her fellow players. One among them was Olympic gold medalist, Qinwen Zheng, who paid tribute to the Ukrainian star.

Ahead of the Australian Open, Zheng and Svitolina were involved in a charity match at Rod Laver Arena. The annual event held in the week prior to the Grand Slam Down Under aims to raise funds for children in need through the Australian Tennis Foundation. Zheng, who was playing her first match of the new season, dominated Svitolina and took the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Subsequently, she made a candid revelation about Svitolina’s motherhood and her comeback as a mother.

During the post-match interview, Zheng revealed, “I want to say that you are quite in fashion too and I didn’t know you’re already having a baby, and congratulations to you for such a successful career. I always have so much respect as a mom to come back that is really difficult. That’s impressive.”

Svitolina’s comeback after giving birth to her first child has been nothing short of inspirational. She won her first title as a mother just months after her comeback in Strasbourg, winning the Internationaux de Strasbourg tournament. Subsequently, she got emotional after the win and said, “It was a great week for me. I’m really happy with my tennis, especially coming back after welcoming our daughter, it’s really, really special for us. Holding this trophy really means a lot to me, especially here where I got a trophy in 2020, which was the COVID year. It’s really nice to be without the mask, holding the trophy. I want to thank the tournament for giving me the opportunity to play here.” 

Talking about Zheng, well she is determined to win the Australian Open title and she isn’t looking beyond her compatriot Li Na for inspiration. Ahead of the major tournament, she made an interesting revelation about the Chinese legend.

Qinwen Zheng aims to follow Li Na’s path

Back in 2014, Li Na became the first player from her country to win the Australian Open women’s singles title. She did so by defeating Dominika Cibulkova in the summit clash during the 2014 edition. Almost 11 years later, Zheng is aiming to emulate the Chinese legend and become the second woman from her country to prevail in Melbourne.

During an interview, Zheng reminisced about her meeting with Li Na, saying, “I was feeling super happy to meet her and have the chance to talk to her. I feel she’s much more beautiful than when I saw her on TV before.” However, Zheng would be cautious going into the Australian Open after skipping the warm-up event at the United Cup. She withdrew from the tournament, citing, “After the long season that 2024 was for me, I need a few extra weeks of rest, recovery and good training to get ready for the new season. I had such a fantastic time at the United Cup in January of this year, and therefore will miss the event greatly.”

With a thumping win over Svitolina in the charity match, Zheng showed that she was back to her best. It’ll be interesting to see if last year’s runner-up can go a step further and win the Australian Open title this time around. What do you think?