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Zheng Qinwen voiced concerns over her health, revealing that she fell ill twice in two weeks after the 2024 Wuhan Open final. Though she felt fine during the final, the Chinese revealed that she had to take pills before the match to reduce her fever.
Qinwen had an emphatic run to the final at the WTA 1000 even, scoring wins over the likes of Jasmine Paolini, Leylah Fernandez, and others. However, the home favorite was defeated by second seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 after two hours and 40 minutes.
After the match, the 22-year-old was asked if she would compete at the Ningbo Open, given that she had almost confirmed her place in the WTA Finals.
Qinwen said that she wasn't at her best health-wise and would discuss with her team first. She said that though competing in Ningo was important, she needed to prioritize her health.
"I have to talk to my team. Up till now, I am not physically 100%. Within two weeks I have had a fever two times, so I'm feeling a little bit weak in my health. I will need to be really cautious talking to my team," Zheng Qinwen said.
"Competing in Ningbo is important, but my health is also important. I need to find the balance between the two."
Qinwen then disclosed that she had to take some pills before the match since she had a fever.
The World No. 7 mentioned that she also fell ill during the Cincinnati Masters and highlighted her concern over how frequently it was happening. She was ousted in the third round of the WTA event by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets.
"I took some pills to reduce my fever before this match. I was feeling worse yesterday. Now I'm feeling better compared to yesterday."
"Within two weeks I have had fever two times. It's really uncommon. That was also the case in Cincinnati. I had a fever. I hope that I can be healthy, I can be competing in a normal condition. This is something very challenging for me."
"I need some time to slow down" - Zheng Qinwen reveals how she will deal with this heartbreaking defeat, sets sights on the WTA Finals
Zheng Qinwen was also asked how she would be dealing with her defeat and if there was something specific she wanted to do after the final.
The Chinese said that there were many things she wanted to do if she had won, however, since she lost, she wanted to get some rest to find clarity before proceeding further .
"I didn't think about that," she said. "If I won this match, there's so many things I want to do. After this loss, I need some time to slow down, to ease my mind, to think about it. If I really want to do something, I'll wait for another 24 hours after a full night's sleep to think about what I really want to do," Zheng Qinwen said.
She mentioned that, with the WTA Finals coming up, she may need to focus on her recovery next.
"There is competition for the Finals. I might need to really put my mind in recovery of my body."
Zheng Qinwen has almost booked her ticket to the WTA Finals. With seven spots confirmed, the Chinese is in a battle with Emma Navarro for the final spot. She is currently 4050 points, whereas, the American is at 3569 points.
Navarro was slated to play at the Ningbo Open but has withdrawn from the event due to physical discomfort.
