Zheng Qinwen 'not worried' about Saudi Arabia's controversial relationship with women's rights & LGBTQ+ community: "I just play tennis"

Zheng Qinwen will be making her WTA Finals debut at the 2024 edition in Riyadh on Saturday. Having arrived in the Saudi capital, the 22-year-old is focused on her game.

During her pre-tournament press conference, Zheng dismissed potential concerns about playing in Saudi Arabia, given the country’s checkered past with human rights.

Speaking to the media, Zheng said she hardly concerns herself with anything other than her tennis. Her focus, she added, always remains on the tennis court and her opponents.

"No, actually I am not worried because doesn't matter where I go, I just play tennis," Zheng Qinwen said. "It's just a tennis tournament for me. I stand on the court, I play against another opponent, that's it."

The World No. 7 did add that she believed that watching more women play sports competitively and fight at the highest level would help showcase the “power” of women.

"Especially I felt if they can watch more woman athlete, how they are fighting on court. I feel sport is very beautiful to show the power of woman, to show the fight of woman, to show the energy," she added.

Zheng went on to add that having a tennis tournament here was a positive step and felt she had to shoulder the responsibility of representing the tennis fraternity wherever she went.

"So I think it's positive things that we have a tournament here because... I don't know, I always feel there's type of responsibility on my shoulder. I don't know where this come from. This is what I'm thinking," Zheng Qinwen said.

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Zheng Qinwen to open her WTA Finals campaign against Aryna Sabalenka

Zheng Qinwen and Aryna Sabalenka with the 2024 Wuhan Open trophies. (Source: Getty)

Zheng Qinwen will open her 2024 WTA Finals campaign with a round-robin encounter against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, whom she lost to recently at the Wuhan Open final.

The Chinese had also come up short against Sabalenka in her maiden Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January and will be keen on exacting revenge.

Besides the duo, Jasmine Paolini and Elena Rybakina have also landed in the Orange Group. The Purple Group, meanwhile, features Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Barbora Krejcikova. The top two players from each group will progress into the knock-out rounds.