Zheng Qinwen did not spend much of 2025 winning matches, lifting trophies, or commanding the sport’s spotlight. Yet for the second straight year, the fans voted her their favorite anyway—a reminder that connection, not just scorelines, still counts in women’s tennis.
Popularity That Outran the Results
Zheng’s back-to-back WTA Fan Favorite Awards underline how firmly she has lodged herself in the public imagination. The 23-year-old from China has been riding that wave since her breakthrough seasons, when momentum built fast and visibly.
In 2022, her first full year on tour, Zheng surged into the Top 25 and was named WTA Newcomer of the Year. By the end of 2023, she had climbed into the Top 15 and claimed the Most Improved Player award, confirming that the rise was no fluke.
A Golden Peak in 2024
Her popularity exploded fully in 2024. Zheng opened the season by reaching her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, finishing runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka. The year only gathered speed from there.
Olympic gold in Paris defined her summer, followed by tour titles, a WTA 1000 final, and a run to the WTA Finals championship match. She peaked at world No. 4, ended the season as a genuine contender for the biggest prizes, and capped it all with her first Fan Favorite Award.
Injuries Rewrite 2025
The script flipped quickly in 2025. Injuries and inconsistency followed Zheng from the opening weeks, and she did not manage back-to-back wins until March, when quarterfinal runs at Indian Wells and Miami hinted at traction.
Clay brought her closest to rhythm. A semifinal in Rome and a Roland Garros quarterfinal suggested a reset, reinforced by another semifinal at the HSBC Championships. But persistent elbow pain shadowed the progress, never fully loosening its grip.
Surgery and a Stop-Start Return
Her grass season ended abruptly with a first-round loss at Wimbledon to Katerina Siniakova. Days later, Zheng announced she had undergone arthroscopic elbow surgery, ruling her out for months and costing her the entire North American swing, including the US Open where she had quarterfinal points to defend.
“After consulting elbow specialists and having extensive discussions with my team, we decided that arthroscopic surgery was the best option,” she wrote in July. “This is just a short break, and I see it as a necessary step toward a better version of myself on court.”
A Brief Comeback, Then Curtain Call
Zheng returned in time for the Asian swing, arriving in Beijing with expectations high. She beat Emiliana Arango in straight sets at the China Open, but physical discomfort resurfaced in round two against Linda Noskova, forcing her to retire in the third set.
That match proved her last of the season. Zheng withdrew from the remaining Asian events, slipped down the rankings, and finished the year at No. 24 with a 20–12 WTA record and just under $1.5 million in prize money.
What It Means Going Forward
Zheng will open her 2026 season at the Australian Open, notably without playing a warm-up event—unusual for a Top-40 player but telling of her careful reset. After a season defined more by recovery rooms than show courts, the Fan Favorite Award offers a different kind of validation.
It closes a difficult year on a note of affirmation, proof that “Queen Wen” remains one of the tour’s most followed, most celebrated figures—even when the tennis itself has had to wait.
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