Zheng's Historic Olympic Win in Tennis

Zheng holds up the Chinese flag after her historic win

China's Zheng Qinwen is the first Chinese player to win gold in tennis, let alone singles, after she defeated Croatian Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The 21-year-old Zheng said the win at the Olympics was more meaningful than the Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

"There is nothing comparable to this victory to me. To me and my family, the Olympics are far more significant than the grand slams," she said. "In our hearts, the glory for the country is way above the self. I believe all Chinese have this mindset."

As a child Zheng watched Li play tennis

Her father Zheng Jianping was a former track athlete who was known for his harsh discipline. She said he could now be proud of her.

"Dad, I've finally brought glory to our ancestors this time," the tennis star said.

When she was young, Zheng watched her idol Li Na, who won the 2011 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open. And Zheng hopes to pay it forward for the next crop of budding tennis players.

"I believe in passing the torch to the next generation. If my victory today can inspire a tennis dream in more children, then everything is worth it," she said.

"I hope in 10 or 20 years, I can see them standing on this same stage, which is the world's biggest stage, and feel what I am feeling right now. They will learn that life is worth living."

However, Zheng's self-discipline is awe-inspiring -- a former coach revealed the tennis player wakes up at 4am to train and eats a diet of chicken breast and broccoli 360 days a year. One might assume the five cheat days are for the Lunar New Year and maybe her birthday?

Also -- does she know where Peng Shuai is?