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Zheng Qinwen is taking a break from tennis after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her elbow this week.
The former world No. 6 had previously withdrawn from the Berlin Tennis Open due to a supposed neck injury, also doing so at the WTA 500 event in Washington.
Heading into the surgery, Zheng possessed a 19-11 record in the 2025 season.
"I want to share a quick update with you all. Over the past months, I've been dealing with persistent pain in my right elbow during training and matches," admitted the gold medalist on Instagram.
"Despite trying various treatments to manage it, the discomfort never fully went away.
"After consulting with elbow specialists and discussing thoroughly with my team, we decided that arthroscopic surgery was the best option to fully resolve the issue.
"Yesterday, I underwent the procedure successfully, and I'm grateful to have it behind me.
"Now begins the recovery journey. Over the next few weeks and months, I'll be focusing entirely on rehab-doing everything I can to come back stronger and healthier.
"This is just a short break, and I see it as a necessary step toward a better version of myself on court. Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I can't wait to be back - see you soon!"
The elbow discomfort seems to have been a lingering issue, after Zheng was spotted with an elbow sleeve in March and, later, commented: "There's still a little pain, but it doesn't significantly affect my play. I can still feel it a bit, so wearing the sleeve provides some protection."
Zheng most recently fell in the first round of Wimbledon to world No. 81 Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, continuing her poor form at the grass-court Grand Slam - losing all of her last three matches at SW19.
The world No. 6 suffered a second-round defeat at the Australian Open, but did create a run to the last eight at the French Open.
Whilst the specific timeframe of her recovery is not known, it seems very unlikely that Zheng will be able to participate in the final Grand Slam of the year, where she has reached the quarter-finals at the last two editions.
The 2024 women's singles gold medalist was due to partner with British No 1 Jack Draper in the US Open's mixed doubles category - formed with other singles players.
"Qinwen I know from the tour. I have seen her around," stated Draper, at the time of the line-up announcement.
"Obviously a great player herself and has a really good game.
"I think it will be fun to get out there and play with her and see how we get on. Yeah, I think it was me who messaged through IMG. She's with IMG as well. It was nice to get that sort of together and let's see how we get on.
"I think it's a good format for the players to get prepared for the US Open, having a shot at playing with another top player."
