American interview with Jie Zheng, China's #1 tennis player

[confucius]

Jie Zheng is the first player from China to reach the fourth round at the French Open. She began getting media attention earlier this year at a tournament in Florida where she played Venus Williams. What follows are unedited excerpts from the post-game interview conducted in Miami with the help of her coach, Liang Zuo Wang:

An interview with:

JIE ZHENG

(Through Translation)

THE MODERATOR: Because English is not her first language, she will try to answer your questions. But if there is any confusion, she will go through her coach.

First question, please.

Q. Could you talk about the match today, how you did.

JIE ZHENG: I think I played is good, but I serve is no good.

LIANH ZUO WANH: She serve so well. The baseline was okay.

Q. How was Venus compared to what you expected? How did Venus play?

JIE ZHENG: She serve -- I think she serve is good.

LIANH ZUO WANH: Venus had a little mistake today, the baseline. Have few mistakes.

Q. Were you trying to move Venus around the court?

LIANH ZUO WANH: "Around the court"?

Q. Side to side.

JIE ZHENG: Yes, I try.

Q. You're from Cheng Du?

JIE ZHENG: Yes.

Q. Do they still have violet globe street lights, purple street lights, the lights in the city? Did you know the tennis player Hu Na?

JIE ZHENG: Yes, yes, she from Cheng Du.

Q. Did you play with her?

JIE ZHENG: No, no. I am so young.

Q. Are you aware that Mao, Chairman Mao, was a tennis player?

JIE ZHENG: Oh, I don't know (laughing).

Q. Do you like Schezuan food?

JIE ZHENG: Yes.

Q. Hot, spicy?

JIE ZHENG: Hot.

Q. Did you feel nervous today?

JIE ZHENG (through translation): First set, and I have a little nervous.

Q. How big is tennis in China right now? How popular is tennis?

JIE ZHENG: No, no.

LIANH ZUO WANH: The biggest city, a lot of people play tennis. Only city.

Q. If it's not so popular, how did she become so good at it?

LIANH ZUO WANH: Because where she is student, she play tennis and start seven years old and on the team and now national team. So she have the chance to practice, go broader, take part in a tournament.

Q. Do you know that the basketball team here in Miami has the first Chinese player to play in the NBA.

JIE ZHENG: Yao Ming?

Q. Wang Zhizhi.

JIE ZHENG: Yes, I know.

Q. Would you ever have an occasion to meet him, or do you know other athletes?

LIANH ZUO WANH: She knows by the newspaper and TV. Never meet each other.

Q. What do you think of Yao Ming?

JIE ZHENG (through translation): He is a good player in China.

[Alveranter]

Jie Zheng is the most beautiful women I have ever seen.. And my loving tennis doesn't make her less attractive =)

[Quest]

I wonder: Do foreigners evaluate beauty differently?

because jie zheng looks kinda average to me...

[Adam]

can someone share a pic of her?

[Alveranter]

I wonder: Do foreigners evaluate beauty differently?

because jie zheng looks kinda average to me...

No.. I'm probably the only one that thinks so.. I don't really know why but average chinese girls are so "reizend"..

[bhchao]

http://www.tennispics.co.uk/zheng/index.htm

She looks average to me. I prefer Anna Kournikova

[Edit] I took out the image link because the picture is copyrighted. So here is the link to the webpage instead.

[xuechengfeng]

Yeah, she looks OK, maybe if a picture was posted that didn't show her looking constipated, we might have a better evaluation.

[skylee]

Here is a passport photo -> http://www.wtatour.com/players/playerprofiles/playerbio.asp?PlayerID=260144

IMHO if she puts on some makeup she would look quite pretty.

[Adam]

average aye.. but she IS from sichuan prov. i remember reading someones post a whle ago which had the chinese provinces ranked in order of their women.. and sichuan was up there (wasnt it?). anyway ive seen her play on tv, quite skilled.