Zhang Shuai in heartbreaking post-match French Open scenes
The Aussie led the support for the popular Chinese tennis player.
Chinese tennis star Zhang Shuai has left the tennis world heartbroken after she burst into tears at her French Open press conference. Xhang has been one of the unsung champions on the tennis circuit in recent years having not returned home to China for three years.
The doubles star has been struggling for form and lost in her opening match to Magdalena Frech in just 49 minutes after a 6-1, 6-1 defeat. The Chinese star hit seven double faults and won only 11 points on her serve in a tough outing in Paris.
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Unfortunately, the loss only adds to her string of poor performances that saw her lose 6-0, 6-0 to Anna-Lena Freidsam at the Strasbourg Open. Her latest loss is Zhang's 10th match in a row, which appears to have left her mentally and physically exhausted.
And in tough scenes, Zhang broke down in tears when answering questions from Chinese media after her first round loss. While she is struggling on the court, she has also been dealing with plenty off it as well.
Zhang has not been home in three years. She was the highest-ranked female Chinese player in her country, but was not picked for the Tokyo Olympics tennis team.
This was reportedly due to tension between herself and the Chinese Tennis Federation after the 34-year-old opted to play at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. Wimbledon was held 11 days before the Olympics.
John Millman leads support for Zhang Shuai
The tennis world was quick to rally behind Zhang after the heartbreaking scenes in the post-match press conference. Zhang has famously won two grand slam doubles titles with Aussie icon Sam Stosur.
And it was fellow Aussie tennis player John Millman who led the support for Zhang and highlighted just how much pressure players face from different aspects of life.
Quite easy to sit on the sofa and be critical of a players form. There’s so much abuse players face, especially online. Yet those abusing have no idea, nor care, for what potentially a person is going through - whether that be physically or mentally. Hope Shuai is alright. https://t.co/HzZsjcP7DC
— John Millman (@johnhmillman) May 28, 2023
Awwww….. Shuai 💔 @zhangshuai121 you are such a wonderful person and athlete with great sportsmanship. I’m sorry to hear of your sadness.
— Maria (@MariaMihV) May 28, 2023
Oh no!!! She’s such a beautiful person. Gutted for her
— Autistic Tennis Fan (@AutisticTennis) May 28, 2023
So sad, she is such a likeable player and so nice with her hugs. Hope someone is looking out for her well-being @WTA
— Kvittycat (@kvittycat53) May 28, 2023
This is very sad to see
— Andrew Lampe (@burpbbpy) May 28, 2023
Zhang is still in the doubles draw of the French Open and will pair with last year's winner Kristina Mladenovic. Unfortunately, Zhang's doubles form hasn't been much better in 2023.
Zhang is ranked World No.23 in the live doubles rankings, but has struggled since winning the Abu Dhabi Open with partner Luisa Stefani. Her best result since then has been a semi-final appearance at the Qatar Open.
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