Peng Powers into US Open Semis

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai cruised into the semi-finals of the US Open at Flushing Meadows last night with a straight sets win over 17-yera-old Belinda Bencic ending an agonising wait to make a Grand Slam last four.

To celebrate her achivement, we dusted off an old interview we did with her from our April 2013 edition of the Beijinger in which she tells us about her various uniforms down the years.

Peng now meets either Carloine Wozniacki or Italian Sara Errani in the last four. Jia you Peng Shuai!

Did you ever feel transformed by wearing a uniform?
My Olympic uniform, of course. There’s extra incentive and extra motivation when I wear the Olympic uniform to compete. I think for all professional athletes, representing your country is the highest honor you can expect. I like being part of something bigger than myself.

As a professional tennis player, you play for yourself most of the time. Which uniform was the worst fit?
My Tianjin team uniform for the 2009 All-China Games was two sizes too big for me, and the style of the jacket was a straight cut on the side. It looked like a potato sack. Definitely not my favorite.

Did you ruin any uniforms?
I’m sure I dropped plenty of food and juice on my kindergarten uniform.

Which uniform did you have the most fun in?
For the 2011 year-end WTA Tournament of Champions in Bali, we all got dressed up in local costumes for our press conference and meeting with the sponsors. It took almost three hours just for the staff to help us get ready in our traditional Bali dresses. It was both elegant and fun.

Which uniform were you most mocked for wearing?
Any time my uniform involves more formal dress, my friends make fun of me, since the majority of time I am in my work outfit, tennis clothing.

Which uniform do you feel most sentimental about?
The 2010 Asian Games Chinese team uniform, because I won my first Asian Games gold in both the individual singles and the team events. Before the game, I was so nervous. I really wanted to do well because the Games were being held in Guangzhou. Playing in China brought extra pressure for me because of the home crowd’s expectations. After six days of tough competition, all the ups and downs during the matches, when I finally won, I was just overcome with elation. I laughed, I cried and I think my uniform still has my tears and things that came out of my nose on it.

Has wearing a uniform ever made you feel out of place?
Hmmm ... tough one. I always feel out of place.

Which uniform would be considered the least fashionable?
I guess my kindergarten uniform would not be considered fashionable, unless you are shopping for a 3-year-old.

Follow Peng Shuai at weibo.com/u/1868911504.

Photo: Claude TRUONG-NGOC (Wikimedia Commons)

A version of this article appeared in the April 2013 issue of the Beijinger.