Source:REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
[Saba Sports News] In the quarter-finals of the Korea Badminton Open held on Friday, world number one Shi Yuqi lost 0-2 to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu and failed to reach the semifinals. In a rare post-match interview, Shi revealed the reasons for his exit. He stated that his physical condition has been very poor lately, with severe heel pain that he has endured for 4 to 5 years and no longer wants to tolerate. He felt a bit overwhelmed today and was not in a good mental state. He has been pushing through to compete in this Olympics. Regarding future goals, he is currently unclear and feels a bit confused. Fans speculate that Shi Yuqi is hinting at retirement. According to media reports, Shi has suffered three major injuries during his career, with the most serious being a ligament tear from an ankle sprain at the 2019 Indonesia Open. Subsequent issues he faced were chain reactions from that ankle injury, known as compensation in professional terms. In simple terms, after injuring his ankle, it could not bear the forces it was supposed to handle, which were then transferred to his knee and hip joints. Over time, this led to excessive wear on those joints due to taking on extra force, resulting in misalignment of force lines. The best treatment for this situation is to stop training and competing while actively undergoing rehabilitation.