Zheng Qinwen humorously mentions Novak Djokovic’s obsession with the Olympic gold medal

Zheng Qinwen described Novak Djokovic’s apparent obsession with his gold medal as “very funny” before jokingly adding that she would like to take a selfie with the Serbian’s Olympic glory.

After failing to become an Olympic champion several times, the Serbian tennis star finally did it at the age of 37 during the Sumerian Games in Paris. For the 37-year-old, it was the icing on the cake on his resume as he now officially has it all.

Although two months have passed since he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling final on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Djokovic is seemingly still on Cloud 9 when it comes to achieving one of his biggest dreams. And after arriving in China for the Asian swing, he was spotted with his medal.

Zheng, who won the gold medal in women’s singles, is currently playing in Beijing and has advanced to the round of 16. But unlike the record 24-time Grand Slam champion, she left her Olympic glory at home.

When asked, the Chinese also revealed that the Serb had invited her to join him for his sponsorship event at the Great Wall, but she could not attend.

“I think this is a very funny story. People talk about Djokovic taking his gold medal everywhere. It’s really funny that he has the gold medal here. He actually invited me to the Great Wall, but because of the schedule I couldn’t I do think the gold medal gives me a lot of energy, just like Novak. He has the gold medal everywhere he goes, from Europe to the US and of course the gold. The medal brought him a lot of energy ​to take a photo with his gold medal. I would really like to practice with him with his gold medal,” Zheng said.

What impact did the Olympic victory have on Zheng?

When the 2024 season started and the 21-year-old reached her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, her popularity soared in China and Asia. However, the real boom in her popularity didn’t happen until she defeated Donna Vekic in the final of the Paris Olympics, bringing a gold medal to her country.

After returning to her home country, one of the first things the world number 7 noticed was that she was no longer only recognized by tennis fans, but also by people who may not be so into the game.

“When I come back to China, I see more and more people recognize me. When I was at the airport, people would not recognize me if they were not interested in tennis. My fame was only within the tennis circle. But now when I go to a restaurant, people are asking me for autographs. I feel the impact. I feel a sense of responsibility here in China,” the Chinese said during her pre-tournament press conference.

“I did well in Australia. But after that I was not very stable. Now I find it a bit challenging to go to the final. Indeed, I need good points from these two tournaments. I asked my team: why are you making me so worried now? I know I feel the pressure to get to the final. I have to make sure I play well here.”

So far, things are going well for Zheng

After a quarter-final finish at the US Open, the top Chinese tennis player took some time to rest before launching her Asian swing in Beijing last week. And so far, the No. 5 seed is doing extremely well after beating Kamila Rakhimova 6-1 6-1 and ousting Nadia Podoroska 6-3 6-2.

After her latest victory, Zheng acknowledged that local fans have shown a lot of support, but also noted that they know how to do it in the way that helps her the most.

“Well, I tried to use their support not as a distraction, but more as a support. But I feel that they have already done a much better job than last year when I came to China. I feel today that the crowd, they support when they need to support, and when they need to be quiet, they stay quiet. I feel like our Chinese fans know the rules very well. I feel like they perform just as much better than the other places really fun to play here,” the 21-year-old explains.

Coming into the China Open, the home favorite – currently ninth in the Race to the WTA Finals – underlined her determination to do well so she could boost her chances of making it to the season-ending tournament.

If she beats Amanda Anisimova in her next match and makes it to the quarterfinals, Zheng will be in play for some big points, but also in a good position to win her first WTA 1000 title.