Qinwen Zheng made a brutally honest admission as she admitted she didn’t want to make friends with her tennis rivals.

The Olympic champion is making her debut at the WTA Finals this week, where she’s been involved in photoshoots with the rest of the top eight players.

But Zheng has no interest in forming close relationships with her competitors, admitting she prefers “distance”.

Zheng has enjoyed a breakthrough season. She reached her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open back in January, cracked the top 10 and won the Olympic gold medal over the summer.

Thanks to her impressive results this year, the Chinese tennis star qualified for the season-ending championships for the first time.

As part of media day, she had some fun with her rivals and took part in a photoshoot before getting involved in Aryna Sabalenka’s joint TikTok video. But the world No. 7 isn’t keen on getting too close to the rest of the WTA Tour.

Asked if she had any friends on the circuit, Zheng replied: “My answer is very clear: I prefer always keep the distance with the player.

“[They have] a lot of competition with me. I am, like, type of sensitive with the heart. I don’t feel if I become friends with someone and I have to compete with them on court, I feel I’m not able 100 per cent focus and fighting.”

The 22-year-old admitted it would be difficult to upset one of her opponents if they were friends, adding: “When I have to scream, C’mon, I’m not able to do that because I will feel a bit weird.

“In my heart, I feel if it’s a friend, I really want she win or she feel good in her life. This is opposite side than the tennis tournament.

“Once I figure out that, I decided don’t try to make a friend on tour because there’s so many people outside of tennis world. Why I have to just make friends here? I come here to compete with them, to win the match. Yeah, that’s my opinion.”

Zheng remains civil with her rivals but she doesn’t want to cross the line. “We are just saying hello,” she continued.

“Sometimes say congrats to your great season. No more talk with no more people. I never go for more. I don’t try to go for more, as well, yeah.”

But the world No. 7 was also happy to compliment her WTA Finals opponents after they got glammed up for their pre-tournament photoshoot in Riyadh.

After seeing the shot, Zheng said: “Yeah, I see all of the girls. They were looking really good. I remember the Chinese fans, we say Jasmine Paolini also looking really good sitting by that chair, yeah.”