Coach Pere Riba has nothing however constructive phrases about Zheng Qinwen as a participant and particular person and has dismissed their on-court arguments as one thing unfavorable, saying it is simply that the Chinese language tennis star needs so badly to enhance and win each time she steps on the court docket.
After working collectively for 2 and a half years of their first stint, the 2 cut up in mid-2023 and that was when the 22-year-old employed Wim Fissette. In case you bear in mind properly, that collaboration ended abruptly after the US Open and with the present world No. 7 accusing Fissette of simply ditching her as a result of Naomi Osaka contacted him and provided him a job.
Whereas Zheng was livid over what occurred to her in late 2023, it additionally left the doorways for her to reunite with former Spanish tennis participant Riba. For sure, their second stint has been an enormous success because the Chinese language made her first Grand Slam, WTA 1000, WTA Finals, and Olympics finals this 12 months – she received the Paris Olympics, whereas she completed as runner-up on the Australian Open, Wuhan and the season-ending event.
It needs to be talked about that Zheng’s runs on the Olympics on the WTA Finals have been particularly spectacular, contemplating that she was making her debut in these main occasions.
However regardless of her excellent 12 months, Zheng can nonetheless be fiery at occasions, and that features arguing with the 36-year-old coach.
“She has an ideal coronary heart. When you realize her – as a result of you need to know the folks – she’s a tremendous particular person, she has an ideal coronary heart. However after all, when she enters the court docket, me I’ve lots of fights along with her on court docket, as a result of she is absolutely formidable. And me, additionally I would like her to succeed. She is a extremely good tennis participant as a result of she has this character, that is the explanation,” Riba informed The Nationwide.
“However generally, she has to regulate the feelings and he or she nonetheless is so younger. However little question that she’s a tremendous particular person. And generally this conduct occurs with all of the gamers, as a result of all of the gamers need to win. She’s so younger, and these small issues that perhaps the folks can see it’s nothing. As a result of lastly the particular person, the essence is very nice.”
Riba reveals his expectations for Zheng in 2025
Had the 22-year-old prevented taking part in Aryna Sabalenka within the Australian Open and Wuhan finals, perhaps she would have already got a Slam and a WTA 1000 title. Whereas the Chinese language has completed many nice issues this 12 months, one factor she nonetheless hasn’t discovered – beating the Belarusian as she misplaced 4 occasions to the Belarusian this 12 months and has zero wins of their 5 conferences.
Coach Riba acknowledges that the competitors on the prime is not straightforward however believes that his pupil could make a Slam breakthrough if she needs with the appropriate work.
“If she continues bettering and given the way in which she is doing the issues, me I am optimistic, and naturally, it is all the time sophisticated these objectives, however she’s going to arrive with real looking choices to win a Grand Slam. It might probably occur or can’t occur, as a result of many gamers are preventing for a similar factor however she’s going to arrive with the tennis and with the health and with all of the issues that she will likely be succesful to do it,” the Spanish coach mentioned.
When Zheng arrived in Riyadh, she sat on a career-high rating of No. 7 on the planet. Following her nice WTA Finals run, she is about to interrupt into the top-5 for the primary time in her profession and be ranked fifth on Monday.
Requested if he sees the Chinese language contending for the highest spot, coach Riba remarked that he believes the 22-year-old is at the moment at “60 % of what she might be” and that finally she will likely be “someday there.”
How Zheng feels about Riba?
In whole, the 2 have labored for 3 and a half years. And because the Paris Olympics gold medalist sees the Spanish coach as somebody who actually needs to assist her obtain her desires and never simply revenue from working along with her, it is not laborious to determine that the 22-year-old is extraordinarily pleased with Riba.
“He all the time has lot of ardour on tennis. That is vital. He actually needs to be a great coach. Not so many coaches on tour have any such ardour. Many coaches, they only contemplate this as a excessive prize job. However there are a couple of coaches on tour, they actually love the tennis, they need their participant to turn into the very best, they need their participant to enhance each single day. I believe he is any such coach,” Zheng mentioned of her coach in Riyadh.
