China's Zheng Qinwen withdraws from Australian Open

WUHAN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen has announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open on Thursday, saying she has yet to reach her preferred competitive condition.

Zheng posted a statement on social media, saying the decision was made after careful evaluation by her team and following medical advice.

Although Zheng said her recovery is progressing well and her off-season has gone smoothly, she added that competing in a Grand Slam requires players to be in "extreme competitive condition".

"Currently, I have not yet reached my best condition that I have set for myself," she explained.

Zheng described the withdrawal as "incredibly difficult".

"Melbourne is my lucky place, where I won my first Grand Slam main draw match and where I had my best experience. I have a special connection to this place, and I was very eager to start my new season at the Melbourne Park," she wrote.

Zheng reached her first Grand Slam final at the 2024 Australian Open, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka. She underwent elbow surgery last July after a first-round exit at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old missed the US Open and several other tournaments before attempting a comeback at the China Open, but was forced to retire in the third set of her third-round match due to a recurrence of the injury. ■