Recharged Wang eyes fruitful 2024 after triumphant return

Refreshed and refocused, China's former women's No 1 Wang Qiang is looking to 2024 with confidence after making a triumphant return to competition.

A two-time Asian Games champion and holder of two WTA singles titles, the 31-year-old quickly got back into the swing of things by winning the CTA Tour Finals' women's singles trophy in Macao last week.

The victory dispelled doubts about whether the former world No 12 would return to the game, which she admits has taken a heavy toll on her, both physically and mentally.

Wang outlasted rising star Wei Sijia, a player 11 years her junior, leaning on her trademark resilience to overcome two breaks of serve in the second set to prevail 6-3, 6-3 at Macao Tennis Academy and claim her first title since taking a 15-month hiatus from the circuit to allow injuries to heal.

"I really didn't expect to play so well at my first tournament since coming back. I prepared for two months during which time my team in Tianjin gave me a lot of support," said the Tianjin native, who pocketed a winner's check of 165,000 yuan (about $23,000).

"The championship win will definitely pave the way for my comeback, raising my expectations for next season."

Wang's previous competitive outing was back in September 2022, at a WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo, where she crashed out in the first round in straight sets to Belgium's world No 29 Elise Mertens.

The stress of competing all year long on the tour, away from family and friends and having to overcome jet lag week after week, had worn her out, Wang confessed.

However, after spending quality time with her family and fiance during her break, Wang feels refreshed and ready to go again.

"The pressure of competing as a pro tennis player is huge. Hopefully I can change my mindset approaching next season to just enjoy the game more, as opposed to pushing myself too much as I did in the past," said Wang, who made the quarterfinals of the 2019 US Open.

Having earned over $5.35 million in prize money since turning pro in 2006, Wang said she's ready to embrace professional tennis again with a more relaxed approach.

"I will try to not let the competitive nature of the sport stress me out, or let the anxiety and pressure get the better of me," she added.

According to the protected ranking rules, Wang is eligible to sign up for at least two Grand Slams next year even though she has lost her place on the live WTA rankings.

However, she's decided to not rush back to the majors, and will instead, initially at least, stick to entry-level tournaments on the ITF circuit.

"Even though I won my first tournament here, I don't think I am ready yet to play at the highest level. I probably will skip the Australian Open and French Open and focus on getting my touch back at smaller tournaments in the first half of next year," said Wang, who will prepare for next season at a tennis academy run by her father in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

After the pandemic abruptly halted the pro tours and interrupted her rise at the end of her breakout 2019 season, Wang was among the first group of professional stars to return home and play regularly on the CTA Tour in 2020.

To maintain their weekly schedule and keep in competition shape playing on the domestic circuit helped Chinese players a lot back then, Wang said.

"It feels pretty good to play at this tournament knowing that this is the domestic tour, but it feels like so professional," said Wang.