Chinese star, Qinwen Zheng, has been one of the most sought-after players ever since winning the Paris Olympics gold medal. Nicknamed “Queen Wen” by fans, she became the first Asian tennis player to win gold in singles at the Games. The 22-year-old had a stellar 2024 season where she also made it to the final of the Australian Open. As a result, she caught the attention of leading brands and this helped her attain a massive sponsorship deal. Subsequently, Zheng dropped the first reaction after being named the Global Ambassador of Dior, a French multinational luxury goods company.

Following in the footsteps of Emma Raducanu, Zheng was named as Dior’s Global Ambassador, one of her biggest deals in her career, on Thursday. Being one of the leading sporting figures from Asia currently, Zheng “embodies the elegance and boldness of Dior style, a femininity in perpetual motion,” according to the $12.5 billion brand. A day later, at the press conference in Melbourne, the Chinese star was elated to enter into a partnership with the luxury goods brand.

During an interview, she said, “Well, I think it’s my pleasure to have Dior with me. Since I was 16 years old, Dior has been one of my favorite brands, really. I had nice shooting experience from them. When the picture comes up, actually I am the most happy one. Say, That was good pictures, I love it (smiling).”

Further, she added, “Yeah, when you have sponsors like this, I think you need to make sure you also have the correct behavior inside and outside the court ’cause you want to match with those high brand. For me, Dior is a very, very high brand, everybody knows. Yeah, I just am happy to work with them and thanks that they choose me because there is lot of Olympic champion. I just say I’m lucky. Sometimes I really feel I’m a bit lucky.”

Meanwhile, Zheng is the second tennis star on Dior’s list after Emma Raducanu’s deal in 2021, which was just weeks after her US Open win. However, Raducanu has had an inconsistent run ever since winning that title and she was even dogged by injuries last year. As a result, Dior opted for a new face in the form of Zheng as question marks erupted surrounding Raducanu’s deal with Dior.

Ahead of the Australian Open, Zheng is confident about a good showing in the first major tournament of the season. Additionally, she is also looking to overcome her nemesis, Aryna Sabalenka.

Qinwen Zheng signals ‘positive’ moves on potential Aryna Sabalenka challenge

A decade after Li Na’s historic Australian Open victory, Zheng Qinwen reached the Grand Slam final last year. But fell in the final hurdle against Sabalenka. However, she admits to mixed feelings about her performance, acknowledging that she didn’t play her best tennis in the championship match.

“That final brings me a lot of good memories, but at the same time, some pity and some sadness because I didn’t take my chance,” the 22-year-old told reporters at Melbourne Park on Friday. “I would even say I ruined my chance because I feel I could do better. So it took me a while to recover from that loss. At the same time I really learned a lot.”

Subsequently, she lost three more matches against the Belarusian star, who became her nemesis. Despite having a 0-5 record against Sabalenka, Zheng sounded confident of a good show against her if they meet this year.

“I think each time I play against her, the results are getting closer and closer, which is positive. But, yeah, it’s tough because it’s not just (about) you getting closer and closer. It’s when is the time that I can actually beat her. It’s hard to say when is that time … First of all, I just want to think about my next round, not her yet…That’s why each time I play against (Sabalenka) it’s better and better.”

Interestingly, Zheng Qinwen will face the Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni in the first round of the Australian Open. A potential quarterfinal clash with Aryna Sabalenka looms on the horizon. Can the Chinese star prevail this time around if she comes up against Sabalenka Down Under? Let us know your views in the comments below.