Source: REUTERS/Ann Wang
[Saba Sports News] World No. 5 Tai Tzu-Ying participated in this year’s Paris Olympics despite being injured and ultimately was eliminated in the group stage. As her retirement countdown begins, she does not want to disappoint her fans and continues to compete as planned, but her knee injury has been a persistent issue. Although Tai reached the semifinals at the Japan Open, she withdrew due to her knee problems; she made it to the quarterfinals at the Taipei tournament but had to retire in Hong Kong, and she was eliminated in the first round of the recent China Open. Originally, Tai was on the entry list for the Arctic Open and Denmark Open, but she has since withdrawn. Whether she will retire directly or continue competing will be decided after assessing her injury condition. At a recent fan meeting, a video was played featuring fans sharing their feelings about following Tai in competitions and sending her blessings as she approaches retirement. Tai was moved to tears after watching the video, expressing that her physical condition this year is not great, but she is very happy to have so many supportive fans around her. She stated that there will likely not be a retirement ceremony this year because she fears it would be too emotional; just watching the video today made it hard for her to speak. She hopes to accompany everyone in other ways in the future, such as holding similar events or engaging with children at schools.