On the evening of April 25, Beijing time, in the second round of the WTA 1000 Madrid Open, eighth seed Zheng Qinwen was defeated 0-2 by Russia’s Anastasia Potapova, suffering a disappointing start to her 2024 clay court season. It was her first match on clay since winning Olympic gold, and unfortunately, it ended in defeat.

After withdrawing from the Charleston semifinals due to an elbow injury, Zheng also pulled out of the Stuttgart tournament. Following a period of rest, her injury had significantly improved. Before the Madrid match, Zheng stated that her elbow was no longer a major issue and that she was ready to compete. However, the match revealed that after three weeks away from competition, Zheng struggled to find her rhythm. Her serve, once a strong weapon, declined sharply — she hit only one ace in the entire match, with a first-serve win rate of just 56%. This indicated that her serving and overall ball-striking on clay were far from her peak form.

Compared to her best performances, the collapse of her service game caused her to lose control of the match. Accumulating 30 unforced errors, Zheng's continuous mistakes eventually led to her downfall.

Given her three-week break, it was crucial for Zheng to quickly adapt to the clay court conditions in Madrid. To adjust to Madrid’s high-altitude environment, she had arrived early for specialized training.

However, throughout the match, Zheng often appeared sluggish in her footwork, particularly during extended rallies where her stamina visibly declined. Under Potapova's heavy baseline pressure, Zheng’s signature backhand down-the-line shots failed to make an impact. Her insufficient adjustment on clay led to rushed shots during rallies. Even when leading 4-2 in the second set, she couldn't maintain focus, and a series of unforced errors exposed her mental fluctuations, ultimately costing her the match.

By contrast, Potapova executed her power-based game plan perfectly — using her powerful forehand to pressure Zheng’s backhand, mixing heavy topspin and high-looping shots to disrupt Zheng’s rhythm and securing the win.

From the match statistics to on-court performance, Zheng’s loss highlighted several challenges she currently faces. After the defeat, she gave a candid assessment, "Today's loss mainly came down to some poor decision-making on court. On clay, you need more patience, but I couldn't find the right balance between offense and defense today. I also failed to capitalize on key points. I made too many unforced errors and lacked aggression even when I was leading. My serve wasn't effective throughout the match, and my serving condition was indeed poor today."

Was her poor performance related to lingering injury issues? Zheng firmly denied this, saying,
"The loss today wasn’t due to a single factor; it was a combination of many things I didn’t do well. But it wasn’t because of injury — my injury is no longer affecting me. I am fully able to compete normally now."

The early loss in her first clay tournament of the season is undoubtedly a setback for Zheng and her team. With the French Open approaching, regaining form and adjusting her mindset will be crucial. On this, Zheng said,"From now on, I need to fight for every match. Clay courts truly demand a lot of patience. I need to calm down, practice steadily, and go into the next match with greater motivation."