In today’s world, competition runs so high that there is very little margin between winning and losing and it takes a lot out of the players to succeed. Ask Qinwen Zheng, who has been one of the standout players this season. She has put on consistent performances throughout and won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this year. But while she has been consistent, Zheng bas sometimes also faced criticism for her aggression on the court. She has the reputation of being a fierce competitor, but her coach Pere Riba reckons she isn’t quite the way she has been portrayed.

Zheng is known to give it her all on the court and often showcases glimpses of her fiery personality on the court. Even during the practice sessions, she sometimes gets into arguments with Riba. Ahead of the WTA Finals summit clash, Riba spoke to The National News about Zheng’s dual personality. While she has a fiery personality on the court, Riba revealed she is very light-hearted off the court.

Riba said, “She has a great heart. When you know her – because you have to know the people – she’s an amazing person, she has a great heart. But of course, when she enters the court, me I have a lot of fights with her on the court, because she is really ambitious. And me, also I want her to succeed. She is a really good tennis player because she has this character, this is the reason. But sometimes, she has to control the emotions and she still is so young. But no doubt that she’s an amazing person.”

Nonetheless, Riba has no doubts about what Zheng can achieve despite her aggressive nature on the court. He believes that Zheng is only 60% of what she can be in the future, signaling that the best is yet to come from the 22-year-old.

Zheng will surely have her eyes set on a Grand Slam title in the upcoming season. However, before that, she will look to turn the tables against Gauff. She lost to the American star in their only meeting earlier this year. Now, ahead of the summit clash at the WTA Finals, she talked about her chances to win the title in Riyadh.

Qinwen Zheng on Coco Gauff matchup: ‘I have more endurance’

The two young stars met at the Italian Open back in May this year where Gauff won the match in straight sets. The WTA Finals clash will be their second meeting and Zheng will be eyeing revenge to end her season on a high. She believes that she is better prepared to face Gauff this time around as compared to a few months back.

Ahead of the clash, she said, “Last time I remember the reason why I lost against her is because I was out of strength in the second set and I felt I couldn’t put any first serves in because I didn’t have any power any more. That’s why I tried to improve my physical part. After this past year I feel the situation is different. I have more endurance, it’s going to be a different match, different surfaces.”

Additionally, Zheng will have the extra motivation of prize money as she can earn a whopping sum by defeating Gauff in the final. If she does it, she will rise to the second spot in the list of the highest prize money won by the WTA players this year. Can Zheng win her maiden WTA Finals title this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.