Teen Chinese tennis player loses French Open match she played while getting menstrual cramps, says she wishes she were a man
- A Chinese tennis player said she played poorly in the French Open due to menstrual cramps.
- Zheng Qinwen was beaten by world No. 1 Iga Swiatek on Wednesday.
A Chinese tennis player who lost a match in the French Open said she was dealing with menstrual cramps and that she wished she could be a man when she plays.
Zheng Qinwen, 19, won the first set of her fourth-round match against Iga Swiatek on Monday, but ultimately lost 7-6, (7-5), 0-6, 2-6.
"It's just girls' things, you know," Zheng told reporters after the defeat. "The first day is always so tough and then I have to do sport, and I always have so much pain in the first day. And I couldn't go against my nature.
"I wish I can be a man on court, but I cannot in that moment. I really wish I can be [a] man [so] that I don't have to suffer from this."
Zheng was also struggling with a leg injury during the match, taking a medical timeout in the second set to have it strapped.
But she said the pain caused by her leg was nothing compared to that caused by her period.
"The leg was also tough. That compared to the stomach was easy. I cannot play my tennis, [my] stomach was too painful," she said.
Despite the defeat, however, the teenager, who was playing in only her second ever Grand Slam, said she was pleased with her run at the tournament.
"If I don't talk about today, I'm happy with my performance," she said. "To play against the number one in the world, I felt I really enjoyed [it] on the court.
"If I don't have my stomach [pain] I think I could enjoy more, like to run better and to hit harder, to give more effort on court. It's a pity that I couldn't give what I want to give today."
The top-ranked Swiatek plays the United States' Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.