Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying attended a fan meeting organized by Chunghwa Telecom on September 29, where she couldn’t hold back her emotions upon watching a heartfelt video featuring messages from her fans. Overcome with gratitude, she expressed her appreciation for their unwavering support as she navigates her global badminton journey. While she has already announced her retirement at the end of this season, she reassured her fans that she has no plans for a farewell event and intends to stay connected to the badminton court.
Having announced her retirement for this season, Tai has recently faced challenges due to knee injuries, which prevented her from competing at her best. She candidly shared, “My mindset has changed quite a bit. I feel like I’ve lost some of the things I wanted most, and I’m not as fixated on strict expectations because my body isn’t able to handle everything I want to do.”
With the upcoming European tournaments in October still uncertain for her participation, Tai admitted she can’t clearly identify what her “final dance” will be. With a smile, she added that, given her personality, she prefers not to announce any “final matches,” let alone a retirement event.
“I don’t want to have one; it would make me too sad,” Tai said, laughing. She mentioned that even watching the fan video brought her to tears, so a retirement event would be too much to handle. She also expressed her desire to continue playing and sharing her experiences with young athletes. “I don’t plan on saying goodbye to the court. I don’t want it to be too sad.”
Tai also shared her vision for the future, expressing her wish to stay connected with her fans in different ways after retirement, particularly in grassroots initiatives. She has received numerous invitations from schools and teams to share insights about her pre-game preparations, technical skills, and post-match reflections. Additionally, she is open to collaborating with sports brands for events and helping out in gyms, which reassures her that she won’t be completely stepping away from the badminton scene.
