Zheng Qinwen was dealing with more than No. 1 Iga Swiatek on Monday in her fourth-round defeat at the French Open.
The Chinese teen phenom was aiming for the biggest win of her young career but said she had “just girl things” that were impacting her performance.
“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,” Zheng told reporters after falling 6-7, 6-0, 6-2.
“I couldn’t go against my nature. I wish I can be a man so that I don’t have to suffer from this. It’s tough.”
It was still a feat for Zheng, 19, to take the 82-minute first set off Swiatek. The Polish star, 21, is heavily favored to win the tournament and had not dropped a set since April 23.
Zheng took a medical timeout early in the second set because of a leg injury that required it to be heavily wrapped.
“The leg made it tough,” Zheng said. “But that compared to the stomach was easy. I cannot play my tennis because the stomach was too much painful. I really give my best on court, it’s just tough.”
Zheng’s road to the fourth round included an upset of former French Open champ Simona Halep and winning the first nine games against Alize Cornet before the French veteran retired from the match.
Swiatek, who won the 2020 French Open, now faces American Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
