Zheng Qinwen eyes strong comeback in future following elbow surgery

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen revealed on social media on Saturday that she has undergone successful surgery on her right elbow and is now recovering.

"During recent training sessions and competitions, I have been consistently bothered by pain in my right elbow," Zheng wrote.

"Although I persisted through interventions, the impact of the pain persisted. After diagnosis by elbow specialists, they recommended to me and my team to complete minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery on the right elbow as soon as possible to thoroughly resolve the issue," the reigning Olympic champion explained.

"After careful discussion with my team, in order to return to the court in the best possible state as soon as possible, we decided that surgery was the best course. I completed the surgery yesterday, it went very smoothly, and I am in recovery," she continued.

"In the coming period, I will focus my efforts on rehabilitation training, striving to return to the court at 100 percent as soon as possible," Zheng added "This brief adjustment is for a stronger comeback in the future. Thanks, everyone, for your support and patience. Please wait for me to return to full strength, we will meet on the court."

Zheng suffered a first-round exit at the recently-concluded Wimbledon Championships, and subsequently withdrew from a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) 500 event in Washington on Thursday.

Earlier this season, the Paris 2024 gold medalist reached a career-high mark of World No. 4 in the WTA singles rankings.