Qinwen Zheng releases statement as both she and Mirra Andreeva withdraw from the Wuhan Open, ‘I’m very sorry’
Qinwen Zheng and Mirra Andreeva have both made the same decision after playing in the China Open final.
Zheng beat Andreeva to win the title in Beijing, as she became the first Chinese player in history to win the tournament.
This has continued a recent resurgent run for the Olympic champion, with Zheng making another big jump up the rankings after her China Open victory.
Despite this, Zheng will now be taking some time away from the court after confirming her withdrawal from the Wuhan Open.
Qinwen Zheng withdraws from the Wuhan Open after feeling ‘fatigued’
There is a very short turnaround between the China Open final and the first round of the Wuhan Open, and it appears that Zheng and Andreeva have both decided it will be too much for them.
It was announced that Zheng had withdrawn due to a right shoulder injury, while Andreeva’s reason for pulling out was due to fatigue. Zheng has been through physical difficulties over the past year, but after releasing a statement it appears that her withdrawal is also fatigue related.
“I’m very sorry to share that I will be withdrawing from this year’s Wuhan Open,” Zheng said in a statement released by the WTA.
“Wuhan is where my tennis dream began, and the Wuhan Open is also where I made my breakthrough at the WTA 1000 level. I have always looked forward to competing in front of my hometown fans.
“Since returning from injury, however, I have played a demanding stretch of tennis over the past month and a half, competing at the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup, and the China Open. My body is feeling very fatigued after this intense run of matches. I look forward to returning to the Wuhan Open next year and stepping onto the court in my best possible form!”
Zheng could have played Aryna Sabalenka in the second round of the Wuhan Open, but she has now been replaced by lucky loser Camila Osorio, while Iva Jovic has moved into the position where Andreeva was in the draw.
That is certainly not the season over for Zheng, who is still entered into tournaments in Osaka, Tokyo and Hong Kong, as she looks to continue rising up the rankings.
Andreeva also still has big stakes heading into the final tournaments of the year, including an outside chance of ending the season as world number one. Andreeva has one tournament left to play this year, as she makes her singles debut at the WTA Finals, which is held in Indian Wells this year.
