Qinwen Zheng declares admiration for K-pop band Blackpink, says she would love to attend their concerts

One of the most exciting tennis prodigies, Qinwen Zheng, recently claimed that she was a huge fan of the South Korean all-girl band Blackpink and that she was interested in attending their concerts.

The 20-year-old is currently the No. 1 Chinese player and has reached the fourth round of the 2023 Miami Open after beating Romania's Irina Begu and Russia's Liudmila Samsonova.

The 23rd seed, who was awarded the 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year, picked up an abdominal injury during the Dubai Tennis Championships in February and subsequently withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Although Zheng has dedicated her entire time to practice and doesn't get enough opportunities to explore entertainment options, she recently told the Tennis Channel about being interested in Blackpink.

“There's one Korean group that I'm really interested in, Blackpink,” Zheng said. “They are very, very famous. I would love to see their concerts in real life and see how they are.”

The Korean pop band comprises Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rose, all of whom were recently photographed with 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in Paris.

Zheng will face Russia's Anastasia Potapova in the fourth round in Miami. The Chinese star remarked that she was confident in her abilities but wanted to enjoy tennis and not put a lot of pressure on herself.

“I think there is a lot of room for improvement. At my level right now, of course, I can say that I’m able to beat anyone, but I really want to improve also at the same time. But not too much pressure for myself. I really want to enjoy tennis and give my best on court," she added.

Earlier this month, Qinwen Zheng achieved her career-best ranking of No. 23, courtesy of her semi-final run at this year's Abu Dhabi Open, where she defeated the likes of Daria Kasatkina and Jelena Ostapenko.

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"People could see that I had no control" - Qinwen Zheng on racquet change

Qinwen Zheng during the 2023 Australian Open

Qinwen Zheng regrets changing her equipment at the beginning of the 2023 season, which saw her struggle on the court. However, she soon returned to her old Wilson racquet and also to winning ways.

"I think I made one wrong choice with my racquet," Zheng said after reaching the fourth round of the 2023 Miami Open. "I tried to change some details to add more power. But at the end, I found out it wasn't working for me because in Australia, the entire tournament I felt it was so difficult for me to control the ball."

"I think people could see that I had no control. I really tried because I thought it was my problem at the beginning. But when I came back to the old one, I felt much better," she added.

Since the 2022 Canadian Open, this is the first time that Qinwen Zheng has reached the fourth round at a WTA 1000 event.