Wang Xinyu: Smile, play "happy tennis", and then win the championship
Nandu News Reporter Wang Yayun French Open finale Roland Garros Central Court is always full, under the gaze of nearly 15,000 spectators, 22-year-old Wang Xinyu completely opened herself - with her consecutive forehand straight shots on the bottom line, Canadian rising star Fernandez across the net gradually couldn't resist, and when the opponent's return speed and strength finally revealed flaws, Xie Shuwei, who was squatting in front of the net to volley, catapulted like an arrow, and a backhand slammed the ball in front of her opponent, The ball popped out into the sky at a huge angle, and even Fernandez, who won the US Open runner-up, could only look at the ball and sigh, watching the balance of victory completely tilt in favor of Wang Xinyu/Xie Shuwei.
"I felt like I was still immersed in the game the moment I won the last goal, because it was quite intense, I didn't react too much, and suddenly I won like this." Recalling the moment of winning the championship after the game, Wang Xinyu's first reaction was a little "confused". Or Chinese Taipei veteran Xie Shuwei, who has won the women's doubles championship five times, was the first to scream happily, and under the deafening applause of the audience, Wang Xinyu stretched out her arms and hugged her partner, until she received the trophy belonging to the champion at the award ceremony, and the heavy sense of joy rushed to the heart of this Shenzhen little flower, "It's very heavy, that trophy is really heavy, both of us feel that we almost can't lift it." "For me, this championship is the result of the two of us playing 'Happy Tennis' these two weeks." ”
Xinhua News Agency photo, Paris, June 11, 2023 (Sports) (12) Tennis - French Open Women's Doubles Final: Wang Xinyu/Xie Shuwei wins Wang Xinyu (left) / Xie Shuwei hold the "Simone Mathieu Cup" women's doubles championship trophy on June 11. On the same day, in the women's doubles final of the 2023 French Open, Wang Xinyu (China) / Xie Shuwei (Chinese Taipei) defeated Fernandez (Canada) / Townsend (United States) 2-1 to win the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing
If you want to wear its crown, you must bear its weight
After winning the championship, Wang Xinyu did not cry as much excitement as many young people who won a Grand Slam title for the first time, in fact, as a teenager who won two Grand Slam women's doubles titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and once ranked second in the world in singles, she was a rising star in international tennis attention as early as she was a minor.
And the Grand Slam experience that made her cry happened at last year's US Open, when the women's singles first round faced qualifier Wang Xinyu with ups and downs, especially in the second set, it was clear that she had a 4-2 lead, but finally collapsed, and the post-00s girl couldn't help crying on the spot at the post-match press conference. After all, it was her sixth Grand Slam main draw, but she had only won once, and she was the only one of the five Chinese goldens who participated in the US Open at the time to stop in the first round, "I tried a lot of new things during this time for various reasons, on the court, including off-court, and then I spent most of my energy going (choking up and crying)... Adapt to new stuff above. I find it hard to focus on where I should improve in my own tennis. Wang Xinyu cried.
"Her elbow injury was not well treated, and it took a lot of change and adaptation on the technical level, which required a lot of change and adaptation. At the same time, she began to cooperate with different coaches, slowly exploring what she needed, and the process would be more torturous. Wang Xinyu's father, Wang Peng, revealed afterwards.
The pressure brought by becoming famous at a young age is obviously consuming Wang Xinyu's confidence step by step, when the little friends Zheng Qinwen, Wang Xiyu, and Zhu Lin have gradually made personal breakthroughs in Grand Slam tournaments, and the waiting for Wang Xinyu tests the patience of fans and her own determination.
When she participated in the Canadian tournament before the US Open last year, Wang Xinyu withdrew due to physical discomfort in the middle of the tournament. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zou Zheng)
The best partner with a difference of 15 years
After more than half a year of adjustment, Wang Xinyu made a comeback this season, reaching the second round of the women's singles at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, and equalling her own best record in Grand Slam singles. But this achievement is basically not a splash in the period when many Chinese men and women have risen, and with her five-game losing streak in the pre-French Open tour, Wang Xinyu can be said that there are not many people optimistic before she comes to Roland Garros. And because the doubles world ranking is too low, she is not even qualified to participate directly in the main draw before the French Open. At this time, Chinese Taipei veteran Xie Shuwei suddenly sent her an invitation to pair doubles.
Xie Shuwei, 37, is an old friend familiar to fans, having won four Grand Slam women's doubles titles and once ranked first in the world in the WTA doubles rankings. However, due to factors such as age and starting a family, Xie Shuwei suspended her participation in the past year and did not return until a month ago. Although she is not qualified for the French Open, according to WTA rules, Xie Shuwei can get the right to the main tournament by protecting the ranking.
"It was in Rome before, when I passed the gym and saw (Zheng) Saisai, so I chatted with her and asked her if you played doubles at the French Open, and Saisai said: 'Oh, but the player we matched (referring to Wang Xinyu) may not be directly in the main draw.'" I told her that my conservation ranking is in the top five in the world, so consider me. Saisai said, 'Well, that's with you.' That's it, it's done in two minutes." Xie Shuwei recalled. In this way, a post-00 generation who originally did not qualify for the main tournament and a "veteran gun" who did not play for nearly a year after marriage formed a "Straits Group" with an age difference of 15 years, and the French Open was only the second event they participated in after pairing.
But even though the team was formed for less than a month, Wang Xinyu and Xie Shuwei quickly found the feeling of the best partner. Veteran Xie Shuwei has rich experience on the field, especially good at volleying in front of the net, and can always shoot decisively at the most accurate time; The big Wang Xinyu is known for his serve and strong pumping from the bottom line, and he can always hold the back court firmly during the game, forming a perfect complement to Xie Shuwei. At the same time, outside the arena, the two have barrier-free language communication and cultural backgrounds, and all kinds of communication are very smooth.
More importantly, Wang Xinyu saw a sense of relaxation and optimism from the inside out in Xie Shuwei, and the two faced all the way to major seed opponents, and Wang Xinyu, who only played the Grand Slam women's doubles for the third time, was inevitably nervous, and Xie Shuwei kept joking with her that the goal of the two was to fight for "one more round". Even when the two lost the first set 1-6 in the final, and the second set was tied to the line, Xie Shuwei would comfort her and say: "Relax, it's okay, we're all runners-up anyway." Driven by her big sister, Wang Xinyu gradually released her tight nerves, regained the feeling of enjoying the match, and finally played the best performance in recent times in the final, and Xie Shuwei was blacked to the end, creating the biggest upset in the women's doubles of the French Open this year.
Xinhua News Agency photo, Paris, June 11, 2023 (Sports) (3) Tennis - French Open Women's Doubles Final: Wang Xinyu / Xie Shuwei wins Wang Xinyu (left) / Xie Shuwei celebrate victory on June 11. On the same day, in the women's doubles final of the 2023 French Open, Wang Xinyu (China) / Xie Shuwei (Chinese Taipei) defeated Fernandez (Canada) / Townsend (United States) 2-1 to win the championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing
Smile and have fun to play well
The magical French Open trip brought Wang Xinyu not only breakthroughs in the results of the women's doubles championship and the women's singles round of 32, but also more obviously, she regained confidence and smile here, and the girl who used to interview Sven and smiled lightly, now like Xie Shuwei, will laugh uncontrollably in front of reporters, "open heart tennis" has become Wang Xinyu's new motto.
"Competitions are meant to be lost and won. You also don't know what problems will happen to your partner that will affect the game. Everyone is like this, and I will have times when my performance is sluggish, so we can just play happily together. Xie Shuwei said, "Sometimes we make a mistake in cooperation, so just smile and smile." I said to Xin Yu, smile more, and you can play well when you are happy. ”
Wang Xinyu agreed with this, "When the award was presented, when we held the cup, we felt that the trophy was so heavy, and the two of us almost couldn't lift it together, haha." "It's like the weight of it, and that's the reward for the two of us having fun playing tennis these two weeks." ”
Wang Xinyu of the French Open looks happier this year. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing
Now Shenzhen Xiaohua also hopes to take the next career path with a "smile" mentality, "I think I still have to insist on playing my own style," talking about the future, Wang Xinyu said, "I don't pay much attention to the world ranking, because I think if I don't make the top 50, everyone is about the same." It's not that you're a better player when you rank high during this time. I think there's a lot of serendipity, so it's good to know you're on the right path. ”
After winning the French Open women's doubles title, Wang Xinyu's doubles instant ranking has risen to 26th, and her singles ranking has also improved by 4 places from the previous highest 68th, although she and Xie Shuwei currently have no plans to continue working together in doubles at Wimbledon, but Wang Xinyu has stronger confidence to cope with the following grass season, "I didn't expect to come here, my start in the clay season is not good, and my serving condition is average..." She said, "But if you believe in yourself and try to play your best condition, There may be surprises, and I think that's my secret. ”