Badminton World No. 1 Tai plans to play on until at least 2021

Saturday, 8 August 2020 01:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: World number one Tai Tzu-ying says she plans to compete on the badminton circuit for at least another year, putting to rest speculation that she could retire at the end of the 2020 season.

The 26-year-old said last year she would consider retiring after this year’s Tokyo Olympics but with the Games pushed back to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic Tai will stick around a bit longer.

“I will play until the end of next season before I revisit the decision. As of now I want to finish next season’s schedule,” Tai told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

“With no competition ongoing right now, that means there’s less media exposure – I hope people won’t forget about me!”

The Taiwanese shuttler, who won gold in the women’s singles at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, said the postponement of the Games had given her the chance to recharge after a gruelling season.

“I can use this time as a period of rest because it’s been a long and tight schedule of high-level competition. It’s a good time to rest and have even more time to prepare for the Olympics,” she said.