Zheng became the first Chinese tennis player to win an Olympic singles medal after she beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic in straight sets at Roland Garros’s Court Philippe Chatrier.
“When I became the Olympic champion, I felt a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders. Mentally I feel a lot lighter going forward,” she told reporters.
“Finally, I am able to say to my family, to say to my father, ‘come on, I just made history!’,” a beaming Zheng said.
Her Olympic journey was not all smooth sailing as she had to endure two hard-fought three-set battles that lasted three hours, including a victory over former world number one Angelique Kerber, before knocking out current number one Iga Swiatek in the semi-final.
“It’s the first time I’ve had to fight five matches in a row,” she said.
“My body was in pain after the third match and I had to play with bandages. It was not easy to keep carrying on.
Source – FLASHSCORE
