Has Shi Yuqi Lost His Passion? Calls Himself the Weakest World No. 1 and Hopes Younger Players Step Up
The 2024 Korea Open Badminton Championships are underway this week. In the first round, top seed Shi Yuqi, who has been in poor form recently, advanced by defeating former World No. 1 Son Wan-ho 2-0.
In a post-match interview, Shi Yuqi humorously called himself the weakest World No. 1, laughing throughout: “Every day hasn’t been great, I’m pretty tired, and my body doesn’t feel very good. Well, today I challenged the former World No. 1 (Son Wan-ho) as the weakest World No. 1, and I succeeded.”
Earlier this year, leading up to the Paris Olympics, Shi Yuqi was in top form, winning four BWF World Tour titles and overtaking Viktor Axelsen to help China’s men’s singles reclaim the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in eight years. However, at the Paris Olympics, where he was the top seed and a strong favorite to win, Shi Yuqi was completely out of sorts, suffering a crushing defeat, 12-21, 10-21, to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
After the Olympics, Shi Yuqi stated in an interview that he wouldn’t let the Olympics define him and that he would try again.
Last week, at the Japan Open, Shi Yuqi dyed his hair gray, symbolizing his determination to start fresh, but was unexpectedly defeated in the semifinals, losing 1-2 to 19-year-old French rising star Christo Popov.
After the match, Shi Yuqi said, “I hope the younger players get more opportunities to compete.” Clearly, Shi Yuqi is eager for someone to take over the mantle of China’s men’s singles, allowing his weary self to find some relief.
This week at the Korea Open, Shi Yuqi again hinted at his poor physical condition, possibly due to injuries. He even joked about being the weakest World No. 1, indicating that consecutive losses have severely dented his confidence. Additionally, with several of his peers, like Liu Yuchen, He Bingjiao, and Ou Xuanyi, recently choosing to retire, Shi Yuqi’s mindset may have also been affected.
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