Olympic champion Zheng looking forward to better result at Wimbledon

LONDON -- China's Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen says she is looking forward to a better result at this year's Wimbledon Championships, after having been knocked out of the women's singles first round in the previous two years.

Zheng, 22, will begin her fourth Wimbledon main draw appearance with a first-round match against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic on Monday.

Siniakova, 29, who has 10 women's doubles Grand Slam titles, has previously beaten Zheng twice on grass, including at Wimbledon in 2023.

"She's a tough opponent, especially on grass," said fifth seed Zheng at a pre-tournament media conference on Saturday. "Her shots are quite flat, so the balls won't bounce too high on grass. I have lost to her twice and I will definitely be fully prepared this time."

Earlier this month, former Australian Open finalist Zheng reached her first career grass-court semifinal at Queen's Club, but withdrew from the following Berlin Open due to a neck injury.

"Competing at Queen's Club was a good experience for me. I learned a lot from the matches I played there," said Zheng. "Compared with the previous year at Wimbledon, my body is healthier so I can prepare better with my team. I hope this year everything is going to be great. "

Despite her early exit in the past two years at the grass-court Grand Slam, Zheng maintained that her confidence remained high.

"I believe I can perform well on grass. Last year I was injured at Wimbledon, and one year earlier I didn't prepare well as I was with a new team," said Zheng. "I think I can be much stronger this year if I prepare well."

Zheng also revealed that she is now working with Spanish coach Francisco Roig, who had previously worked with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal for 18 years.

"He joined my team after Queen's. My coach Pere Riba helped me contact him," said Zheng. "He is such an experienced coach. I'm sure that I can learn a lot from him. We will see how this grass-court season goes, and then decide if we want to work together for the long term."