Wrist Injury Delays Zheng Return to the Tour

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 28th December 2010

Wrist Injury Delays Zheng Return to the Tour

Jie Zheng (CHN) |

The new year is starting off wrong for China’s Zheng Jie. A persistent wrist injury means the 27-year-old will miss January’s Australian Open. The injury has sidelined Zheng since she reached the second round of the US Open in September.

“It’s a hard decision for me to make,” Zheng wrote on Twitter. “But I believe there will be more Australian Opens for me to attend if I can regain my health.”

Last year, Zheng reached the semifinals of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament where she lost to eventual runner-up Justine Henin. The Australian Open in 2006 was where Zheng won one of her two Grand Slam doubles titles.

In 2008, Zheng became the first Chinese player to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament, losing to Serena Williams in the last four at Wimbledon. The following year she became the first woman from her country to be ranked in the top 15 in the world.

She has since been overtaken by compatriot Li Na, who ended 2010 ranked 11th after also reaching the semifinals in Melbourne last January – the first time two Chinese players had done so in the same major.

Topics: Australian Open, China, Chinese Player, Chinese Players, Compatriot, First Woman, Grand Slam Tournament, Health, Justine Henin, Lost, Melbourne, New Year, Serena Williams, Twitter, Wimbledon, Wrist Injury, Zheng Jie