Zheng Qinwen said she will always give a handshake out of respect to her opponent, but don't expect it to be "smiley," and a hug is out of the question.
The Chinese star has earned a reputation among some players for being icy on court, with American Emma Navarro last year saying she felt "disrespected" by the 22-year-old, calling her "cut-throat."
Zheng's frosty handshake with Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open, where she failed to make eye contact, also raised eyebrows.
There was no sign of similar behavior when she shook hands with Anca Todoni after beating the Romanian 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 at the Australian Open first round yesterday.
"I always give a handshake to my opponent because I feel that's the basic respect. Doesn't matter if I won or I lost, I always give a handshake," said Zheng, a finalist at Melbourne Park last year.
"But not always I give a handshake with a smiley face. This I know myself. Usually I don't often give a hug to my opponent as well, because I feel that is not necessary.
"I come just here to play a match. If I lost, I will give you just a basic respect and that's it," she added. "That's why you will not see me lose one match with a happy face to the opponent. If you saw that on me, that is very strange, which means I don't care about that match."
Zheng enjoyed a breakthrough 2024, beating Iga Swiatek on her way to winning Olympic gold in Paris and claiming three WTA titles.
With her star rapidly rising, Zheng said she found peace on the court, but was also able to find solace off it despite the increasing demands on her time.
"I love reading, I love singing. I feel every time when I sing, I am in that flow also, same like on the tennis court. When I am reading or writing, it is the same things."
Zheng had three set points on her own serve at 5-3 in the first set, but allowed Todoni to come roaring back before closing her down in the tiebreak then racing through the second set.
"The first match is always not easy," she said. "Just happy to get through the match, the tiebreak and find my rhythm."
While Zheng was able to play, the action on outside courts was halted barely an hour after it started when storms rolled in that turned the sky black.
Thunder and lightning saw players and fans rushing for cover, with heavy rain lashing Melbourne Park in a headache for organizers who face a match backlog.
Only the three main stadiums- - Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena - have roofs.
Meanwhile, women's No 1 Sabalenka survived an early wobble to beat Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 at the start of her bid for a historic Melbourne hat-trick.
"I love this place," said Sabalenka, who will next play Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. "Full stadium, I couldn't ask for more."
In men's singles, Japanese Kei Nishikori, 35, saved two match points to battle back past Brazilian Thiago Monteiro 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 in a four-hour, six-minute marathon.
Norwegian sixth seed Casper Ruud rallied to make the second round, beating Spain's Jaume Munar, ranked 106 in the world, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Zheng Qinwen is all business as she powers past Anca Todoni at Melbourne Park. REUTERS
