"I cried after hearing that" - Qinwen Zheng opens up about how her coach revealed he was leaving her for Naomi Osaka at US Open
Qinwen Zheng recently opened up about the circumstances under which her ex-coach Wim Fissette communicated his decision to part ways with her in order to rejoin Noami Osaka's team.
During a press conference at the Beijing Open, Qinwen Zheng disclosed that Fissette told her that he did not feel a "connection" with her immediately after she suffered defeat at the hands of Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open.
“During the US Open, I knew he had contact with the team of Osaka. Right after the match, he said to me that he felt like he had no connection with me. He never said that to me before. Right after I was defeated, he said that to me. I felt very strange," Zheng said.
When the Chinese asked him if he was going to leave her because of that, Fissette had initially promised her that he wouldn't do something like that. However, after just a week, he seemingly went back on his words and admitted to her that he was going to be joining Osaka's team.
"I talked to my [coach]. I asked my [coach] whether he will go to Osaka's team. He said, no, he wouldn't be that kind of person. But after resting for a week, he suddenly told me that he was going to work with Osaka," she added.
The 20-year-old also highlighted the emotional distress her break-up with Fissete caused her team members, her family and herself, saying that she broke into tears after hearing what he said.
"It was quite a big impact to me and my team members and my family. I cried after hearing that. There were no fights, no arguments in our collaboration. There was nothing new to me in this collaboration, but also he did not do anything wrong," Zheng said.
Although the World No. 23 said she understood the Belgian's decision to reunite with Osaka's team, she labeled her split with the 43-year-old as an "unethical end" to their partnership.
"I thought that was an unethical end to that collaboration. I understand that Osaka can provide a better offer to him. I understand from his perspective this might be a better position. He has a family to support. I understand his decision, but it doesn't mean I will forgive him for making such a decision,” she said.
The Chinese is currently scheduled to take on No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina in the opening round in Beijing.
"Very immoral" - Qinwen Zheng on Wim Fissette's alleged breach of contract to rejoin Naomi Osaka's team
Qinwen Zheng previously accused Fissette of breach of contract following her triumph at the 2023 Asian Games. She registered a straight-set victory over Zhu Lin on Friday (September 29) to win a gold medal in the women's singles final.
The 20-year-old described the Belgian coach's decision as "immoral" which brought anguish to both her and her family.
"He broke the contract, and it is very immoral. Even though this brings some harm to me and my family, I don’t want to talk about that person right now," she said.