Zheng Withdraws for Third Time This Season

Chinese player Zheng Qinwen has officially withdrawn from the WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart due to injury. This marks Zheng's third withdrawal in just four months this season. Ongoing injuries have not only disrupted her clay-court preparations but also seen her ranking fall to No. 37, meaning she is no longer China’s highest-ranked female player.

The Stuttgart event serves as the curtain-raiser for the European clay-court season and was scheduled to begin on April 13. It was supposed to be Zheng's long-planned clay-court debut of the year. However, her longstanding right-knee injury flared up again. "

"The issue had already become apparent during her match against Aryna Sabalenka at the Miami Open on March 24, when her movement was visibly restricted and she stumbled several times while pushing off her right leg. After the match, Zheng admitted that her body needs recuperation and training has been quite taxing. Following evaluation by her team and medical staff, the decision was made to skip the Stuttgart tournament to prevent the injury from worsening.

Zheng's comeback path has been fraught with setbacks. In January, she withdrew from the Australian Open because her recovery from right-elbow surgery had not yet reached the required standard. In February, she pulled out of the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships due to illness. Including Stuttgart, these three withdrawals have affected key events across Grand Slams, WTA 1000, and WTA 500 levels, essentially derailing her competition schedule. Since undergoing minimally invasive surgery after Wimbledon in 2025, she has been battling injuries continuously, with rushed returns and repeated breaks becoming the norm.

This season, Zheng has competed in only three WTA 1000 events: she reached the last 16 in Doha (losing to Elena Rybakina), the second round in Indian Wells (losing to Leylah Fernandez), and the last 16 in Miami (losing to Aryna Sabalenka). With modest results and frequent absences leading to significant ranking points losses, her world ranking has plummeted from a career-high of No. 4 to the current No. 37. She has been overtaken by her compatriot Wang Xinyu, and the position of China's No. 1 women's player has changed hands.

Missing Stuttgart means Zheng will forgo a crucial window to adapt to clay courts and accumulate ranking points. Her team has not yet announced a return timeline. With the French Open approaching, it remains uncertain whether she can recover in time for the year's second Grand Slam.