Zheng Qinwen’s withdrawal from the Wuhan Open will cause her ranking to drop out of the world’s top ten, with netizens listing three unsurprising reasons.

Zheng Qinwen announced her withdrawal from the Wuhan Open 1000 tournament! This choice has finally ended the speculation about her participation in the event.

After Zheng retired trailing 0-3 in the deciding set against Czech player Noskova in the third round of the China Open, questions arose about whether she would still compete at the Wuhan Open, sparking widespread discussion.

While this issue remained unresolved, many people insisted Zheng would definitely not withdraw, giving two indisputable reasons: first, the Wuhan Open is held in her hometown of Hubei, and since China’s top player said after a Beijing check that her injury wasn’t serious and she was last year’s runner-up, she surely wouldn’t miss it; second, Zheng’s return at the China Open was to give back to fans and show them her game, so how could a player who puts fans first disappoint her hometown supporters?

From Zheng Qinwen’s actions after arriving in Wuhan, all signs pointed to her having zero chance of missing the Wuhan Open.

The Wuhan Open organizers provided a dedicated car from the airport to the hotel. Many believed that if the organizers already knew Zheng wouldn’t participate this year, the car would have taken her home instead of to the hotel as a courtesy. Additionally, some fans and netizens revealed that after returning to Wuhan, Zheng was seen training very hard, seemingly preparing actively for the upcoming Wuhan Open, further convincing everyone she would compete. “Since she returned at the China Open to give back to fans, she would do so even more at the Wuhan Open,” they said.

After the Wuhan Open qualifying draw was released, speculation arose whether Zheng Qinwen would appear in the main draw and recreate the warm scene from her China Open debut.

At that time, Zheng defeated Colombian player Arango in two sets and interacted with the crowd by asking, “Did you miss me?” which made many fans happy about her comeback. Because of this, people wondered if she would repeat that moment at the Wuhan Open and start another large fan reunion.

“Hello everyone, I’m Zheng Qinwen. Since last year’s Wuhan Open final, I’ve been looking forward to returning home and playing my best tennis in front of you all. Unfortunately, my body hasn’t fully recovered yet. After consulting doctors and discussing with my team, I regretfully must withdraw from this year’s Wuhan Open. I especially thank all the fans for their support, especially those from my hometown—every cheer is my motivation. See you at next year’s Wuhan Open.” When Zheng announced her withdrawal and later the Ningbo 500 event replacement, many were shocked. Some admitted that previous confidence suggested she wouldn’t withdraw, but in the end, she did.

Zheng Qinwen’s withdrawal from the Wuhan Open means she will lose the 650 runner-up points she earned last year, and this loss will definitely push her ranking out of the world’s top ten. Some even said that after the Wuhan Open, if she remains in the top 20 it would be fortunate, but if others perform well, she could be pushed out of the top 20.

While some were surprised by Zheng’s decision to skip both the Wuhan Open and the Ningbo 500, ending her China season early, others said it was expected and listed three reasons.

When Zheng returned to Wuhan from Beijing, she told the Changjiang Daily in an interview, “I hope everyone enjoys the Wuhan Open matches, and if possible, see you on the court.”

Actually, by saying this, Zheng was already hinting she wouldn’t compete at the Wuhan Open. If she was confirmed to play, she would have said, “See you on the court then.”

Moreover, shortly after Zheng returned to Wuhan, CCTV Sports’ official website reported the news, already revealing her withdrawal from the Wuhan Open with the headline “Zheng Qinwen promises hometown fans to meet next time,” which was a clear sign.

Because Zheng had not officially announced it yet and all signs pointed to her playing, many overlooked this important detail. Some speculated that CCTV Sports leaked the withdrawal news early, and Zheng delayed her official statement possibly because she was participating in a sponsor fan event and worried an early announcement might affect it. Once the event ended, her withdrawal statement followed.

The final reason is that, given Zheng’s current condition, playing at the Wuhan Open would be meaningless.

After retiring injured at the China Open, Zheng said in an interview she now understands what kind of force her elbow can tolerate. Fans and netizens commented that with her condition, she should fear power players, who are numerous at the Wuhan Open. Knowing it would be hard to advance and that playing could worsen her injury, it’s better to withdraw early to avoid controversy from a sudden mid-match retirement like at the China Open.

After ending her China season early, some have boldly speculated that Zheng’s move may be to preserve herself for the National Games in November. This is also a major domestic event held every four years, with much lower intensity than the Wuhan Open. Given her current physical state, she is well suited to compete, and representing Hubei could be just as rewarding as supporting the Wuhan Open!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlit River’s Starry Sky)