'Wish I Can Be A Man': China’s Qinwen Zheng's Feelings After French Open Is Every Women Ever During Menstruation

The number of opportunities women have lost due to menstrual cramps all over the world must be uncountable. We all have tales about how menstruation got in the way of a wonderful opportunity, and if we don't have any experiences about it, we've all heard stories about it from our mothers, sisters, female friends, and others.

Qinwen Zheng Lost French Open

One such situation that gained international attention is of Chinese teenage tennis player Qinwen Zheng, whose French Open dream was crashed due to severe period cramps.

Qinwen Zheng is a 19-year old Tennis player who won in the first set of her fourth-round match against world number 1 tennis player: Poland's Iga Swiatek. However, she was unable to perform well later owing to her severe menstrual cramps and she lost the match.

In the second set of the game, Qinwen Zheng got severe menstrual cramps and a leg injury — for which she had to take a medical timeout, which led to her loss.

The 19-year-old said she had no pain in the first half of the game, but took a medical time out at 3-0 down in the second and she was having her back massaged on the court. After that, she went to the locker room and returned with her right thigh strapped.

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Qinwen Zheng Said "I Wish I Can Be A Man On Court'

After the game, Zheng told the reporters, “Yeah, the leg was also tough. That compared to the stomach was easy…I cannot play my tennis, (my) stomach was too painful,”

Adding to that, she said, "It’s just girls’ things, you know. The first day is always so tough and then I have to do sport and I always have so much pain on the first day. And I couldn’t go against my nature."

“I wish I can be a man on court, but I cannot in that moment…I really wish I can be (a) man (so) that I don’t have to suffer from this.”

She also mentioned that she would have enjoyed it more if she didn't have stomach pain. She said, "If I don’t have my stomach (pain) I think I could enjoy more, like to run better and to hit harder, to give more effort on court. It’s a pity that I couldn’t give what I want to give today. I just want (it so that) next time I play against her, I (am in) perfect shape."

Every word she said crushes our hearts because many women can relate to her story right now. Like Qinwen Zheng, every women must have thought at least once that it would be better if we were guys.

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Women And Period Cramps

This leads us back to the much-discussed subject of women's need for menstruation leaves. Some countries have already started giving periods leaves, while some countries are still having discussions on it. However, it is a topic that is frequently criticised by men, who believe that giving women an extra day off will give them an extra free day, which isn't necessary. This is due to their lack of understanding of what all women go through during their periods. The cramps are too much for many, and when the strain of work is added, it can be too much for them to take.

A 2017 survey by women’s fertility and health tracker Maya found that nearly 50 per cent of women in India have irregular menstrual cycles — nearly 68 per cent of women experience severe period-related symptoms like cramps, fatigue, and bloating.

Just because women have worked continuously throughout their periods for years does not mean that this should be the norm. In order to make the world a better place, we must consider the comfort of women too.

Today, to comfort women during their periods, there are not many effective options. To relieve the cramps, pain relievers with side effects or home cures are used. However, these are not enough. In my opinion, more study and research is needed to develop a convenient solution for ladies suffering from menstrual cramps.

I hope you liked this article. How do you feel about those annoying menstrual cramps? Has it ever gotten in the way of a wonderful opportunity for you? Share your stories and thoughts with us by commenting on our Facebook page.

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