After Emma Raducanu’s accusations, Zheng Qinwen reveals why she frequently changed her shoes during Queen’s Club encounter

Following her 6-2, 6-4 victory over Emma Raducanu in the Queen’s Club Championships quarter-finals on June 13, 2025, top seed Zheng Qinwen faced scrutiny for repeatedly halting play to change her shoes and racquet, prompting accusations of disruption from Raducanu. In her post-match press conference, Zheng explained that her frequent shoe changes were due to her inexperience on grass courts, stating, “I still don’t know when I have to change my shoes on grass… I slipped three times after two games. I had to change or I’m gonna break my leg,” per Sportskeeda. She apologized to the crowd, saying, “I didn’t want to fall two times, but I just don’t know how to run on grass,” and noted that the new shoes improved her movement, per BBC Sport.

Raducanu, frustrated by the interruptions—three of which occurred during her service games—commented, “I don’t think it’s ideal… Maybe something could have been done [by the umpire],” but chose not to escalate, per Sportskeeda. The crowd expressed displeasure with boos and sarcastic clapping, with X posts like @rowenamezzo questioning if Zheng’s timing was tactical, per. Zheng’s actions, including a racquet change and a dampener adjustment, were within rules, as umpires have discretion over such pauses, per Daily Mail. Despite the controversy, Zheng praised Raducanu’s grass-court prowess and expressed relief at reaching her first grass semi-final, per Sky Sports. Raducanu, managing back spasms, now eyes Berlin’s WTA 500 event, per Express.