Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen said he had to “calm down, take it slow and start all over again” ahead of the Nottingham Open and amid temporary changes in his backroom staff.
With his long-time coach Pere Riba still recovering from a car accident, former No. 4 Zheng – who faces sixth-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece on Monday – said it would take time for new coach Albert Costa to integrate with his coaching team.
“Riba is still recovering from the accident, as we all know, and he needs more time,” said Zheng, who is currently ranked 122nd. “I don’t know how long it will take, but based on what he’s told me so far, it’s about two or three months.”
Working with Costa for the second time since late May, Zheng said he felt good training with the 2002 French Open champion, but admitted any improvement would take time.
“Don’t think that every time you work with a new coach, you will suddenly have a magical feeling and your results will start to improve,” the 23-year-old said.
“It’s not like that. I think everything takes time, so I need to calm down and take it slow.”
