Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen opts for disguise to keep a low profile in China
Paris gold medallist admits to struggling with new-found fame but accepts it is the price she must pay for success
Zheng Qinwen said her new-found fame since winning Olympic gold had made life in China so challenging, she takes measures to shun the sudden attention.
The 21-year-old became the first Chinese player to capture an Olympic singles gold in Paris four weeks ago, an achievement which brought her legions of new fans.
And after bursting into the nation’s sporting consciousness when she made the final of the Australian Open in January, Zheng said her gold medal meant now “everybody in China” knew who she was.
“After the Australian Open, it was maybe more the tennis fans, they know me,” Zheng said. “But when I come back to the streets now in China, I have to put on my cap because if one person recognises me, there will be a lot of people come to ask for my signature.”
Zheng’s profile will rocket even higher after she reached the US Open last 16 for the second successive season on Friday, with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Germany’s Jule Niemeier.
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But the Shiyan native said she accepted that as a public figure, the demands on her time would be become even more exhausting, something she got an early taste of after her win in the French capital.
