Zhang, who recently reached the doubles final at the US Open, knows a thing or two about perseverance. She lost the first 14 Grand Slam main draw singles matches she played, but eventually broke through at the Australian Open in 2016, upsetting World No.2 Simona Halep for her first Grand Slam win, then reaching the quarterfinals.
She says that failure has been part of her journey, but more importantly, learning to accept her shortcomings and while persistently following her passion on the court have become her trademark.
“Every person has her dream, and dreams can be very different,” she said. “You can fight for it, fight for your own dreams. I also have my own dreams. I am fighting for it. I am working toward it.”
Zhang is also a two-time Grand Slam champion, proof positive that there is more than one way to make a successful tennis career.
“That’s why you see that I won a championship in a Grand Slam,” she said. “I used to train in singles. I did not do doubles or mixed doubles. But then I felt I wanted to be a Grand Slam champion. If I had a bigger gap in the singles, then I make the transition into doubles and the mixed doubles. That was one way for me to win a championship in a Grand Slam. That is one way for me to reach my dream in a different way.”
Chasing the Olympic dream, and representing her country, has also give Zhang satisfaction over the course of her career.
“In my own career, there were so many failures,” she said. “I still have this sense of achievement. In the Paris Olympics, I was really proud that I can represent China three times. The number alone makes me proud.”
The former World No.22 says that even as her losing streak took a toll on her this season, she found other ways to gain confidence. Just last month she played the final of the US Open with Kristina Mladenovic (the pair lost to Ostapenko and Kichenok in the final).
“My friends, my colleagues, were not surprised. They congratulated me. Even though they were not in Beijing, they sent a video, they tried to video call me. When I was having a losing streak, they were telling me that, Eventually your win will come. We have full confidence in you. With so much effort in your career, you will need just a little bit more patience for your win.”
