Highlights from China Open Media Day: Key Quotes from Top Players

Aryna Sabalenka shared her experience regarding her preparations for appearances: "To walk on the runway, you have to practice. I was so tight. I had to message a bit all of my model friends. I am like, 'Okay, girls, put me in one message all of your experience throughout your whole life. I have to do it well.'" She also mentioned her excitement for the remaining events of the year, noting, "I'm really excited to play the last, probably, three events of the year. At the US Open, it was kind of the moment when I started to feel healthier and stronger. I really enjoyed playing tennis. I got back to my mindset. Physically I got better."

Zheng Qinwen referred to playing in her home country as akin to a fifth Grand Slam, saying, "To play in China is like playing the fifth Grand Slam for me. They are of the same importance. Of course, I want to perform super well in front of my people. I have extra pressure, yes. At the same time, I also get extra support from all the fans, so I have nothing to complain." Zheng also expressed encouragement for young talent, stating, "I congratulated her on her championship, and of course the championship last year, because these are really great achievements for the Chinese juniors. I told her after one or two years that I will see you more often on the tour. She is very talented. I hope that in China we can see more similar players to elevate Chinese tennis to a higher level," referring to junior No. 1 Sun Xinran.

Coco Gauff teased an upcoming announcement, saying, "I did something exciting that I want to talk about but I can't yet. Y'all are going to be like 'What?' when it happens. That's all I can say. I shouldn't have said anything, but I'm just really excited (laughing)." She also appreciated the cultural experience of playing in China, mentioning, "Playing here in China is such a unique experience because I feel in Asia, there's so much history here in China, so much culture here. Especially being from the U.S. -- I think obviously we're old -- but China's a really old country. I think it's really cool to experience things like going to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, feeling the history there. I'm someone who enjoys learning about that."

Sun Xinran reflected on her recent journey, stating, "Losing finals at the French Open and Wimbledon was really tough for me, and I was really sad after that. After, I talked with my coach and we were talking about what happened in the final, and what we need to change with the US Open coming up. Again, I got into the final. That was really a surprise for me, and this time we just prepared good, we focused on our tactic and just didn't think about losing now. We really did it, and I'm so happy." She admired Zheng's resilience during matches, saying, "[Zheng] was down in the score, and she just fought, and she won that match. I just think her mentality is so good, and I want to be that player to fight, even if I have 0-5 down or set for the opponent."