The long-awaited return of Zhizhen Zhang: "This was destroying me"

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After a tremendous 2024, a knee injury prevented Zhizhen Zhang from continuing his progression last March, keeping him out of competition for the last six months. The consequences of not defending his great points haul have pushed him out of the top300, but the good news of his return in this Asian tour makes him forget about any statistics. However, his current record is modest: one win in three matches.

It must not be easy to be out of competition since Indian Wells, but what complicates things even more is returning to home tournaments, like the ATP event in Hangzhou where he managed to advance past the first round in an epic match only to fall clearly in his next challenge. This week, at the ATP 500 in Beijing, Zhizhen Zhang's journey didn't go beyond the debut (6-4, 6-2 vs. Terence Atmane), although the Chinese player is aware that this is a long-term test, even admitting that we won't see his best version until 2026. These were his statements after participating in his second event following the long-awaited return.

MATCH EVALUATION

"I ended up putting some ice, but it's just for recovery, those are the typical things you usually do after a training session or a match, so there's nothing to worry about. Today, truthfully, I played quite well, but after the first set, I think he had 16 winners, he was being very aggressive from the baseline and powerful with his serve. It was tough for me, especially in terms of returning. It had been half a year since I faced a left-handed player, the rhythm tends to be a bit different, but at least I had the feeling of playing a normal match after six months."

LONG-TERM MENTALITY

"I am patient, but it depends on how things progress. I usually am a very patient person, but in this specific case, it's quite frustrating, especially in the initial stages. It's complicated, a difficult situation; I felt like it was affecting me a bit at times. Right now, what I'm doing is trying to see how I was two months ago, comparing it to what I'm doing now, how I've evolved since then."

SUMMARY OF THE LAST 12 MONTHS

"Truth is, in this past year, I don't see any changes around me. The most important thing is seeing my daughter grow, who is now a year old, that's the biggest change for me. For me, 2024 could be divided into several parts. For instance, at the end of last season and the beginning of this one, I could be on tour, but then I was out for six months. Now, I'm back on tour, so it's hard for me to pinpoint the changes. If you ask someone who took a six-month break, it's really difficult for them to describe what kind of changes took place during that time."

THE CHALLENGE OF A COMEBACK

"Everything is different after an injury, after being out for so long. Firstly, your feeling on the court is somewhat unfamiliar; sometimes you don't know what to do, you sense that lack of preparation, the fact that you don't know how to handle certain things. When you need to step up, it can be challenging because you're unsure about which way to go. Today's match is a good example, I've played three matches in the last two weeks, although the first one was totally surprising. Many thought it was normal to play that well after such a long time, but the real situation showed in the subsequent encounters."

AIMING FOR HIS BEST VERSION

"I suppose this won't happen until next year; it's unlikely to occur this season. These past three weeks, I see them as part of the recovery process, it's a progression step, but it's still early to see the final result. We're not fully focusing on winning yet; it's just a part of the process. First, we're trying to see if my body can handle that pressure and stress of competition. After such intensity, we have to assess how my body is holding up, but I hope to return to compete at my best from 2026 onwards."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El ansiado regreso de Zhizhen Zhang: “Esto me estaba destruyendo”