Peng Shuai was destined for
stardom the moment she turned professional in 2001 when she was only 15 years
of age.
Not even a heart surgery when she
was 12 years old dampened her spirits to excel in the game.
“I’ve been playing all this while
with no problem. It was something I was born with and had to undergo a
surgery,” said Peng Shuai who has not looked back since then.
But the BMW Malaysian Open third
seed and world number 19 ,who hails from China, has yet to win a WTA title and
that remains her goal in every WTA tournament she participates.
She defeated Austria’s Yvonne
Meusburger 6-1,4-6,6-2 in the opening round and will play Kristyna Plisikova of
the Czech Republic for a place in the last eight.
Among the big names that have
fallen to the Chinese star are Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, Kim Clijsters,
Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo, Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Janković, Maria
Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwańska, and even compatriot and Asian No. 1 Li Na.
“I have been so close many times
but was unable to win. I hope that can change soon and my goal is to do better
in Grand Slam events,” said Peng Shuai.
The Asian Number 2 is hoping to
land the BMW Malaysian Open title at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country
Resort, for she feels at home in Kuala Lumpur. She was listed to play last year
but withdrew at the last minute.
“I wanted to play but could not
arrange for a visa in time. Many things here remind me of China and the people
here speak my mother tongue too. It feels like I am in Hong Kong,” said Peng
Shuai.
“I prefer the hard court too and
honestly the courts here suit my game. I did not realize that I was seeded so
high as I wanted to come and enjoy a good time, without undue pressure. So much
so I did not even pay notice to who else was coming initially.”
Peng Shuai, who usually partners
Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Su-Wei in doubles, explained why she opted against
playing the doubles this time.
“It has been a hectic schedule so
far. I played singles and doubles in Doha and Dubai before getting here. I
wanted to take a break. I intend to resume the doubles duty in Indian Wells,”
she added.
“Among my targets this year is to
stay injury free and keep fit. So the decision not play in the doubles is a
safety precaution against getting injured”
Peng Shuai resumed training under
coach Allen Ma in December 2010 after going separate ways for several years.
She reckons that Ma is more than just a coach to her.
“He helps with everything, even
my personal issues. It was only logical for me to get him back as coach. I need
to train a lot and avoid getting injured,” she added.
The 2010 Asian Games champion
will represent China at the London Olympics later year.
“It will be held on grass and I
don’t like playing on it. But it is held every year and will be a big event for
the whole of China. All the Chinese players will want to do well as winning
medals at the Olympics means a lot.”
“But it’s only in July so I will
focus of the WTA tournaments for now,” she added.
