zheng jiechinese tennis star zheng jie pics & info

Country People's Republic of China
Residence Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Date of birth 5 July 1983 (1983-07-05) (age 27)
Place of birth Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in)
Turned pro 16 January 2003
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
She has won three WTA singles titles - Hobart in 2005 and Estoril and Stockholm in 2006. She has also won twelve doubles titles, eleven of them with Yan Zi including Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2006. She won the bronze medal in doubles with Yan Zi at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her career high doubles ranking is World No. 3. Zheng has reached the singles semi-finals at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, defeating a World No1. she gained recognition when she became the first Chinese player ever to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament, defeating then-World No. 1 Ana Ivanović en route.

At first, it was just for exercise. Zheng was rather small (at 5', 4.5"), and she and her parents were afraid that she would not have a career in the tennis world. (In fact, she was called "xiao bu dier" by her parents, which translates into something along the lines of "small kid." Her stature was no surprise though, for both her parents were short.) They considered her focusing more on her studies, so that if she did not make it in tennis she would be able to get a different job. Zheng Jie keeps in a small vial pieces of her ankle bone that were removed during the ankle surgery of 2007. She says she keeps it because it is a part of her, and that it makes her cherish being able to play tennis again and life in general. She says that although it made her world ranking plunge, it also made her grow up a lot.
In 2009, Zheng Jie separated from the Chinese Tennis Association.

Her shots are very well placed and can be quite deep in the court, making Zheng an excellent defensive counterpuncher. Zheng has good foot speed which allows her to keep points in play that normally would be winners; so few shots get by her that some admiring journalists have begun calling her "the Great Wall of China." Having played many years in doubles, Zheng is also a comfortable net player.

the 2010 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. After three set wins over Peng Shaui, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Marion Bartoli, as well as a straights sets fourth round win over Alona Bondarenko, Zheng made Australian open history by becoming the first Chinese player to reach an Australian Open semifinal when she took out unseeded Maria Kirilenko in the quarter-finals. In the semi-final match, she lost to former World No.1 and 2004 champion Justine Henin.
Zheng next competed at the Dubai Tennis Championships as the sixteenth seed, but was upset in the first round by Alicia Molik in three sets. Zheng began her grass court season at the 2010 AEGON International, where she was unseeded. She advanced to the second round before losing to British wildcard Elena Baltacha.
At Wimbledon, Zheng was the 23rd seed, but lost in the second round to Petra Kvitová, who herself made it to the semifinals.
Zheng was unseeded at the 2010 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, where she was defeated by Maria Sharapova in the first round. In doubles, she reached the final where she lost a close three set match to Leizel Huber and Lindsay Davenport. At her next tournament in San Diego, Zheng reached the second round before losing to Daniela Hantuchova.