Peng Shuai: Eyes Ahead

Therefore, Peng requested the sports authority to relax these restrictions to enable her to be an entirely professional player, decide the allocation of bonuses, select coaches and matches. This resulted in a stalemate between Peng and the national team. Peng even rejected international competitions the national team applied to on her behalf. Some speculated that she might retire. Fortunately, Peng finally decided to return to the team. But past friction blurred her focus on training and playing, and her performance and ranking dropped sharply.

During her early years, Peng beat a number of top-10 players, but struggled to make a significant breakthrough in women’s singles tennis, losing match points, missing championships altogether and frequently changing coach. Peng attended 37 Grand Slam tournaments – a feat that would take any other players at least 10 years. Tennis players who qualify for a Grand Slam are among the top players in the world. However, if a ranking player consistently fails to reach the final eight, it is just another big torment.  

In the face of failure, Peng never slows her pace and keeps her eyes ahead. As a teenager, she was admitted to hospital for heart surgery to repair a defect. But health issues did not deter her from playing tennis. Years of training and playing have taken their toll, but the veteran player still strives to win. 

“I will smile at others’ sarcasm, because I know my own story. I will smile humbly at others’ success, because I know myself well. And I will smile joyfully at others’ pressure on me, because I see my future.” This is how Peng reminds herself to “always look ahead.”

Andrea Hlavackova (right) of the Czech Republic and Peng Shuai pose with the women’s doubles trophy on October 4, 2014 at the China Open tennis tournament awarding ceremony in Beijing.

Be Stronger

Peng has developed a tough mentality through all these trials and tribulations. When people thought that the “talented newcomer” had come down in the world, Peng was spurred into action, competing in women’s doubles tournaments. She and Hsieh Su-wei from Taiwan won the Women’s Doubles at Wimbledon in July 2013, ascending to the WTA World No. 1 doubles ranking the same year and creating the best record among Asian players. In June 2014, Peng and Hsieh won their second Grand Slam title together in the final of the French Open.

Her success in women’s doubles helped Peng to regain confidence. As if waking from a dream, Peng took on her former coach, adjusted her attitude and gradually refocused on women’s singles. When she did not play well early this year, she traveled to Tibet to take a break. A Tibetan friend advised her to think about why she wanted to play tennis in the first place. “Regardless of the difficulties or frustrations you meet, you should think about your initial intention, and then you feel peaceful,” said Peng. “For me, I enjoy the game and so I’m doing what I like.”

After reaching the semi-final of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, Peng finally revealed her ultimate dream – to win a Grand Slam.

Years of experience help the 28-year-old to become more focused. “Tennis is a tough game. My experience has taught me to enjoy it,” said Peng. “I trust tennis to give me confidence and courage. Of course, it also brings me pain; but I must say that on the whole, tennis enriches my life.”