Peng Shuai
Age: 30
Height: 1.99 meters (6 foot 1 inch)
Paris city rank: No. 5
Height comparison with Clijsters: “I’m taller than Kim, but I think I’m faster.”
Style: Grunge – her favorite color is a combination of blue, purple and black (“Sometimes, I feel like a fake Glam Rock girl.”) – and very dressed-down. She dresses for every match. “Mostly black.” What’s her go-to piece? “Basic black is my go-to color. But as soon as I’m playing, I try some new things, because the conditions will be difficult to wear a black outfit. You need to mix it up. I like kimono clothes,” she says.
Claim to fame: Her opponent at Roland Garros in 2013, Li Na, was the first Asian player to reach the quarterfinals. A win at Wimbledon the following year was followed by a surprisingly strong run at the US Open, which got her into the world’s top 10 for the first time. Peng Shuai came close to making the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2014 before bowing out to compatriot Li, and heaped praise on Li for her achievement. “I really was glad to be there and watch this star having her first French Open semifinals. She’s going to be one of the biggest stars for Chinese tennis.”
Peng’s next challenge: Winning another Grand Slam title. She’s up for it. “I will try my best. I never give up.”
She Knows: On making the rounds at Big Brother and other shows: “For Big Brother, I was scared before I started. The women were always talking about how much they liked me. But when I was in the house, I was like, ‘I’m in the house! So I don’t know what they’re talking about.’” On a different show: “Big Brother season 18, it was really hard. They didn’t tell us when we would start or when we would leave. I couldn’t leave, so I just stayed there all the time, always on my own. It was very hard. I didn’t get it, so I couldn’t do anything.”
Power ranking: 4