Zhu Lin discusses Zheng Qinwen's elbow injury: It's quite common now, and she's very brave; Osaka ends collaboration with Mouratoglou.

Last night, Zhu Lin defeated Glachova in two sets in the first round of the Montreal tournament, marking her victory in the North American hard court season debut. After the match, she shared insights about her injury and some thoughts on her recovery.

In the mixed zone at the Montreal venue, Zhu Lin gently touched her right elbow bandage and stated, "The best solution is surgery, but considering my age, I can only opt for conservative treatment." After saying this, her gaze evoked a sense of sympathy, but this is also the resilience and helplessness that professional tennis players must embody, having to dance with injuries.

As early as last season, Zhu Lin's elbow ligament injury forced her to take a break. In fact, the best way to treat an elbow injury is through surgery, but at 29 years old, she has many concerns. "The recovery period could last up to a year, and I can't afford that in my career. Fortunately, I'm not at the point where I can’t play at all." This has become her reason for persistence, requiring her to ice her elbow three times a day to alleviate inflammation during training.

It's worth mentioning that China's top player Zheng Qinwen has just undergone elbow surgery. Zhu Lin remarked, "I completely understand her choice; it requires immense courage."

She acknowledged, "There are many factors contributing to elbow injuries now, including technique and your force application. Of course, the increasing intensity of matches and the varied conditions at each tournament also play a role, so I believe injuries are unavoidable."

In fact, within the current Chinese contingent, everyone has some degree of injury, and Zhu Lin is no exception. After the match, she analyzed, "Modern tennis demands more intense spins, and we have had risks since we were young when learning to grip the racket."

WTA statistics show that players change court types every 3.2 days on average. Racket stringer Li Minghao revealed, "Chinese players have a 20% higher elbow injury rate than their Western counterparts, and the difference in muscle types is the main reason." In response, some netizens lamented, "Chinese players are always overextending their bodies for results."

At the end of the interview, Zhu Lin stated, "The fate of professional players is to run with pain." This remark resonated on social media, with Zheng Jie sharing, "I experienced a wrist injury like this back in the day, but stopping could mean saying goodbye to the court forever."

Now, let's turn our attention to another piece of news from the tennis world: Naomi Osaka's collaboration with Mouratoglou has come to an end after ten months.

Their partnership began in September 2024 during the Chinese season, but their results during this period have been mediocre. In ten months, they only secured one WTA 125K title (Saint-Malo) and one WTA 250 runner-up finish (Auckland); her world ranking rose from 73 to 51, with a win rate of only 28% against top 20 players. Additionally, Osaka was eliminated in the third round of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and suffered a first-round exit at the French Open.

Former coach Fissette stated in an interview with L'Équipe, "Patrick tried to replicate the model he had with Serena, but Osaka needs a completely different coaching approach."

It is reported that conflicts arose between them regarding tennis philosophy early in their collaboration: Mouratoglou wanted to strengthen her net play, but Osaka lacked confidence in her net game, achieving only about a 52% success rate at the net during matches. Furthermore, Osaka revealed, "I tend to look at the floor when we talk," while Mouratoglou complained, "She always has physical issues." During last year's Asian season, Osaka even expressed, "I still don't know if he is skilled, or if his players are skilled!" This indicates that the breakdown of their relationship had been brewing for some time.

Tennis commentator Ben Rothenberg sharply remarked on a podcast, "This feels like a business marriage; Patrick needs to prove he can succeed without Serena, while Osaka is desperately seeking help."

Additionally, WTA insiders revealed that Naomi Osaka's father is in contact with Sharapova's former coach, Groeneveld. Some netizens analyzed, "She needs an injury prevention expert like Zhu Lin, not a star coach!"(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)