Chinese icon Li Na has provided the blueprint for Zheng Qinwen and her Grand Slam dreams.
And she is proving similar inspiration for the emerging Chinese star at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Zheng emulated her hero by becoming just the second Chinese player to reach an Olympic singles quarterfinal, after her epic comeback victory against Emma Navarro at Roland Garros on Monday.
Navarro twice served for the match, and even held a match point, but Zheng escaped and ultimately powered to a 6-7(7) 7-6(4) 6-1 win.
"(Li Na) is one of the women who inspired me the most. I always said she put those dream seeds inside me,” said world No.7 Zheng, the sixth seed in Paris.
“The day when Li Na won a Slam, I had a dream in my heart that I want to win a Grand Slam as well. And, this time, I'm fighting for my country, it’s the same importance, even more.
“Chinese people, we love our country and I always feel so honoured I have the chance to fight for China."
Her victory sets up a quarterfinal showdown with Angelique Kerber, who announced on Instagram that the 2024 Olympics would be the final event of her glittering career.
Kerber’s inspiring, emotional run to the quarterfinals has come somewhat out of the blue, given she was on a five-match losing streak when she arrived in Paris.
The German, who won her first of three major titles at Australian Open 2016, has beaten Naomi Osaka and Leylah Fernandez in straight sets en route to the last eight.
Zheng, meanwhile, was one of the form players coming into this event.
She defended her WTA title in Palermo on clay, perfect preparation for Paris. And by beating Navarro, the 21-year-old has extended her winning streak to eight matches.
Zheng has won 16 of her past 18 sets and is rounding into the kind of form she displayed in reaching her first Grand Slam final at AO 2024.
That performance at Melbourne Park came exactly 10 years after Li won the title, Li’s second major title after winning 2011 Roland Garros – another nice link between the pair considering this Olympic Tennis Event is being staged at the same venue.
At the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Li upstaged Venus Williams to reach the semifinals, before falling to Dinara Safina. That put her into a play-off for the bronze medal, which she lost to Vera Zvonareva.
Even if Zheng doesn’t emulate Li and progress to the medal rounds at Paris 2024, there is no doubt her star is on the rise in China.
But if she does, her profile could begin to reach the heady heights of her idol.
"Traditionally, an Olympic medal is probably more (significant) than winning a Grand Slam in China,” Nicole Pratt told ausopen.com in our ‘Five in Focus’ series.
“Even prior to Li Na, the Chinese dedicated themselves to actually winning a medal in the doubles. Sun Tiantian and Li Ting became literally superstars in the country overnight through winning (gold at Athens 2004).
"The Chinese win a hell of a lot of medals in the Olympics, but not necessarily in tennis.
“It'd be huge (for Zheng).”