Chinese star Qinwen Zheng, who did not play a warm-up tournament heading into the Australian Open, is set to begin her season in Melbourne against Anca Todoni in the first round. This match marks her first official appearance since the WTA Finals, and she’s been preparing diligently. On Friday, Zheng practiced at the Rod Laver Arena with World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, who remains under scrutiny following her doping controversy. While many are eager for insights into Swiatek’s mindset, Zheng seems to want to stay out of it.

For the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist, getting ample court time is crucial. She recently participated in the ‘A Night With Novak’ charity event, teaming up with Novak Djokovic against Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka. And while it was an evening of fun interactions and playful tennis, Zheng is back on the practice courts, preparing for her first match at the Australian Open. And who better than a five-time Grand Slam champion to help her get into the zone?

However, following Iga’s controversy that left her with a one-month ban and cost her the No.1 ranking, people have been curious to know if she’s been facing any trouble with her confidence on the court. This was posed as the question to Zheng in a recent press conference ahead of the Australian Open.

To which, she responded, “I mean, it’s tough to say ’cause it’s her problem. I can’t really enter.”

To catch you up, Swiatek’s controversy began in August after she tested positive for the banned metabolic agent trimetazidine, or commonly known as TMZ. The ITIA accepted her appeal on grounds of “minimal fault or negligence” since she was taking prescribed medication containing a small dose of the substance to help with jet lag. But there’s still been some backlash that the Pole has faced and has admitted that she lost sleep over it for a while.

However, in her first tournament of the season, Swiatek led Team Poland to the finals of the United Cup against Team USA. She gave her best in all her performances but ultimately fell short in her final round against Coco Gauff, who had been leading the US Team with a 5-0 victory against all her opponents.

After practicing with Swiatek, Zheng noted she doesn’t view the World No. 2 through the lens of the doping controversy. She has kind words for Swiatek, with whom she holds a 6-1 head-to-head record. Zheng, who beat World No.1 Iga Swiatek, 6-2, 7-5, in an hour and 51 minutes at the Paris Olympics semis, acknowledged Swiatek’s formidable skills, continued, “I don’t know exactly what’s going on. I just can wish all the best for her. There’s nothing more I can tell.”

On the other hand, Gauff, who got past Zheng to win her first WTA Finals title last year, was asked a similar question. Her response was far from any competition!

Gauff puts rivalry aside to speak about Swiatek’s confidence after doping controversy

Coco Gauff came out swinging at the United Cup in Sydney, defeating Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 to put Team USA ahead 1-0 in the final. As the Australian Open approaches, Gauff addressed questions about her rivalry with Swiatek and a potential drop in Swiatek’s confidence due to her doping controversy. Gauff stated,

“No. I mean, I wouldn’t say she’s dropped her confidence… I definitely don’t think anything she did was intentional.” She emphasized that Swiatek remains a formidable player, saying, “She’s still No. 2 in the world and playing amazing tennis.”

Despite her recent successes against Swiatek(including a group stage win at the WTA Finals in November last year), the American remains aware of the challenges ahead. She acknowledged the tight competition and noted, “I don’t think she is not confident in herself. She’s playing great tennis. The match we played, I just happened to be a little better that day.” With their head-to-head record favoring Swiatek at 11 wins to Gauff’s 3, she understands the need to stay vigilant.

Gauff expressed optimism for the Pole going into the Australian Open starting January 12, remarking that “she’ll be fine.” However, the question still remains about whether we’ll see Swiatek lift the AO trophy this year for her first title there and sixth Grand Slam overall. What are your thoughts on this?