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Chan Kin-wa

Chen Yufei is China’s undisputed No 1 badminton player, lifting the women’s singles crown at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2021 China National Games.
But the 25-year-old has revealed she almost sat out the first half of 2023 because of an extremely exhausted mind and body.
In a Weibo article celebrating her birthday last week, Chen described how she hung on in 2022 when she reached eight tour finals, including the World Championships, but returned with only one trophy.
“It all came from a busy 2021 – first was the Olympics, followed by the National Games and the Sudirman Cup, then the Uber Cup,” she said. “After that hectic schedule, my body was totally burnt out, and my mental state was the same, just like all the tight bow strings were suddenly broken.
“Since then, there came all the disorders in my body. I could not sleep well or eat well, and my mind grew heavier with little energy from my body.

“But because of responsibility, because of ranking points and because my name is Chen Yufei, I still took my tired body to the courts and kept playing frequently.
“However, none of these matches I played did I enjoy, or look forward to. But still, everybody kept saying ‘you are Chen Yufei and you cannot lose’, forcing me to play one tournament after another.
“Then I found out even if I hung in there and did my best to reach the final, my body would suddenly stop working from there.”
In 2022, Chen lost in the finals of the Malaysia Open, German Open, Malaysia Masters, Thailand Open, Denmark Open, Korea Masters and the World Championships. She only clinched the title at the Indonesia Masters after beating Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in three games.
Chen said after the World Tour Finals, she was forced to stay in Bangkok for almost a month because of logistical arrangements, bringing her to such a low point that she told her coach she would not play a single match in the first half of 2023 because she was so tired.

Fortunately her coach gave her a break, bringing her to some tourist spots in Bangkok to forget about competing. When she returned to China, she felt much happier, but had to pack her equipment bags again soon as it was only six days before their departure for the 2023 Malaysia Open, the first tournament of the year.
“I didn’t have any proper preparation for the tournament,” she said. “And therefore I told myself I could start the tournament in a happy mood. I approached the game in a different way than I used to. Indeed, it was the first time after the Olympics, after the National Games, that I approached the games differently and surprisingly the result was not too bad.
“I came across players in the tournament like Carolina Marin and Nozomi Okahara, who are also Olympic gold medallists and world champions, and despite all these years of ups and downs, they are still playing because of their passion for badminton. For me, it was only pressure and responsibility and that’s why I had to change my attitude.”

Chen is now back on the World Tour and is taking part in the Super 300 German Open which began in Mulheim on Tuesday.
Hong Kong’s two mixed doubles pairs – Reginald Lee Chun-hei and Ng Tsz-yau, and Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet – both progressed in the opening round.
In the men’s singles, Lee Cheuk-yiu and Ng Ka-long will also start on Wednesday, along with two women’s doubles pairs – Ng Tsz-yau and Tsang Hiu-yan, and Yeung Nga-ting and Yeung Pui-lam.


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Badminton World Federation (BWF)

Olympic badminton champion Chen Yufei reveals how ‘broken’ mind and body almost saw her sit out 6 months

Chen Yufei of China reacts during the women’s singles final against Yamaguchi Akane of Japan at the 2022 BWF World Championships in Tokyo. Photo: Xinhua

Chen Yufei of China hits a return during the women’s singles semi-final against Pusarla Venkata Sindhu at the 2022 BWF Thailand Open in Bangkok. Photo: Xinhua

China’s Chen Yufei takes a selfie with fans after defeating Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying during their women’s singles semi-final at the Malaysia Masters. Photo: AP

China’s Chen Yufei reacts after winning against Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the women's singles final at the Indonesia Masters. Photo: AFP

Tokyo Olympic champ Chen Yufei heads to Sudirman Cup after China National Games win

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games gold medallist Chen Yufei of Zhejiang competes against He Bingjiao of Jiangsu in the China National Games semi-final. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Tokyo Olympics: China’s Chen Yufei beats Tai Tzu-ying, ends Taiwan’s dream of second badminton gold

China's Chen Yufei reacts after a point with Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying in their women's singles badminton final match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza. Photo: AFP

Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying reacts after a point with China's Chen Yufei in their women's singles badminton final match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)

Sudirman Cup: Chen Yufei thanks China teammates after letting them down in final

China's Chen Yufei reacts after a point with Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying in their women's singles badminton final match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: AFP

epa09503848 Team China celebrates on the podium after winning the BWF 2021 Sudirman Cup Badminton tournament in Vantaa, Finland, 03 October 2021. EPA-EFE/MAURI RATILAINEN

(211002) -- VANTAA, Oct. 2, 2021 (Xinhua) -- China's Chen Yufei competes during the women's singles match against South Korea's An Seyoung during the semifinal match between China and South Korea at Badminton Sudirman Cup 2021 in Vantaa, Finland, Oct. 2, 2021. (Photo by Matti Matikainen/Xinhua)

Tokyo champ Chen Yufei’s National Games shoe injury sees fans call out Li-Ning

China's Chen Yufei reacts after a point won against Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying in their women's singles badminton final match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: AFP

Sport

China

China’s undisputed No 1 says she almost missed the first half of 2023 because of mental and physical struggles
Change of attitude and some advice from her coach has helped lift her again, and got her back firing on the World Tour


China’s undisputed No 1 says she almost sat out the first half of 2023’s Tour because her mind and body were ‘broken’.


Chen Yufei

Tai Tzu-ying

Tse Ying-suet

Tang Chun-man