Qinwen Zheng's diva behavior at the WTA Finals goes viral

On Saturday afternoon, Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng faced each other in a historic final match of the WTA Finals. The two young trailblazers battled for nearly three hours in a marathon match that thrilled tennis fans.

While Gauff won the title and slammed her critics on social media after the game, Zheng is attracting more attention. The 22-year-old had an outstanding season, but gained a reputation for being questionably athletic.

Although Zheng's individual actions were far from obvious, they did not contribute to her portrayal of herself as a sore loser. However, fans celebrate her diva behavior.

Tennis reporter and digital content creator Christian's Court created an amazing Instagram video of Zheng's post-match reactions, which is getting a lot of traction on social media.

In the video, we can see Zheng giving one of her notoriously weak handshakes after the game, sitting with her arms folded and standing with her hands on her hips, barely acknowledging everything else around her.

It seems tennis fans' public opinion of Zheng's behavior has changed 360 degrees in the past year. Before she became an international sports star, she was best known among casual tennis fans for her candid interviews and great karaoke skills.

Fans immediately took her side when Emma Navarro called her out at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, then concluded that she lacked athleticism at times and are now celebrating her fierceness.

Zheng is a pioneer in this sport. She is the first Chinese woman to reach the final of the WTA Finals since Li Na in 2013. In addition, she is the first Chinese player, male or female, to win 50 games in a single season.

Zheng finished her season with a 41-16 record and two individual titles, including an Olympic gold medal. Best of all, she has proven that she has the talent and personality to be a face of the sport for a long time.

Sometimes the sport needs a villain, and Zheng isn't afraid to rub her rivals the wrong way because they're rivals, not friends, according to the budding superstar. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated Serve on SI for all important sports news.