Wang Zhiyi: First Make Yourself Stronger, Become More Comprehensive

Jayce September 6, 2024 2 0

“It’s like riding a roller coaster, not yet seeing the view from the heights, and suddenly plunging into the valley.” Reflecting on her experiences on the international badminton circuit over the past six months, Wang Zhiyi has faced rounds of ups and downs. From the euphoria of reaching the finals of the Super 1000 tournaments to the agony of losing in the Uber Cup, her journey has been a rapid assimilation of lessons and growth. “Don’t indulge too much in self-blame,” comforting words from teammates and coaches have allowed Wang Zhiyi to navigate through efforts, struggles, and retreats, ultimately choosing to confront reality and repeatedly rise up, accumulating and practicing her personal growth and transformation.

Wang Zhiyi

Overcoming the First Round

At the age of 22 this year, Wang Zhiyi emerged as a promising young player in Chinese badminton during the Tokyo cycle. Promoted to the national team at the end of 2018, her impressive performances elevated her Tokyo Olympic ranking to the top 16 in the world. However, due to the limitation of two players per association, Wang Zhiyi, with relatively limited experience and qualifications, missed the chance to compete in the Olympics. Nevertheless, her breakthroughs in domestic competitions in 2020 and 2021 posed significant challenges to China’s top women singles players Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao, raising expectations for her 2022 season.

Unlike the focused newcomer she was three years ago, this year in March, Wang Zhiyi set higher standards on the international stage. However, losses in the All England and German Opens, where she was defeated by Rachanok Intanon and Sindhu, respectively, left her shocked. “After training hard at home for a long time, I was especially looking forward to the matches, particularly wanting to learn and demonstrate my skills against top players. But on the court, I felt completely different from what I had expected.” Confronted with this stark reality, Wang Zhiyi returned to Asia with a more relaxed mindset in early April.

Initially determined to “overcome the first round” without overly high expectations, she unexpectedly turned her game around. During this period, despite less systematic training, her performance gradually improved at the two Korean Opens, reaching the semifinals of a Grand Prix tournament, which boosted her confidence. Subsequently, at the Asian Championships held in the Philippines, Wang Zhiyi surged like a rocket, decisively defeating the Thai powerhouse Busanan in three games in the first round.

Against all expectations, Wang Zhiyi not only defeated the Thai strongman Busanan in three games, but also defeated her old rival An Se-young in the semifinals. Although the final was fraught with twists and turns, Wang Zhiyi seized her first Super 1000 title from the hands of the newly crowned world champion Akane Yamaguchi. Thinking she had embarked on the road to dawn, she unexpectedly fell into a long night. In the subsequent Uber Cup final, Wang Zhiyi failed to withstand the pressure and chaos, and it took a lot of effort for her to emerge from that nightmare.

Wang Zhiyi

Placing oneself in a desperate situation before being reborn

At the Uber Cup in Bangkok in May, due to the outstanding overall strength of the Chinese women’s team, Wang Zhiyi did not have many appearances in the previous matches. In addition to the two appearances in the group stage, China won 3-0 in the quarterfinals and semifinals, ending the battle early, which also meant that as the third single, she did not have the opportunity to play.

On May 14, the Uber Cup final between China and South Korea ended in a 2-2 draw, and Wang Zhiyi was suddenly pushed onto the battlefield. As the team’s hope, the pressure on her can be imagined. Faced with opponent Seo Seung-Jae, who had only defeated her a month ago, Wang Zhiyi at this time became the weaker side.

In team competitions, everything is possible. Wang Zhiyi remembered watching nervously as her teammates led the game from a lead to a reversal, and with every point approaching, she found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Just before she took the field, coach Luo Yigang advised her to “just play freely,” but on the court, Wang Zhiyi looked at the fierce eyes of South Korea’s third single Seo Seung-Jae and eventually failed to pass this level.

Wang Zhiyi said: “The more I saw the opponent’s ease, the more I felt bound.” In the first game, she narrowly lost 26-28 after saving 7 game points. After equalizing 21-18 in the second game, she was completely passive in the third game, trailing with a disparity of 13-1, ultimately losing 8-21, and China lost 2-3 to South Korea.

After the game, Wang Zhiyi fell into deep self-blame, an experience of pain she had never had before, so much so that months later, recalling the moment, she still felt helpless and dark, saying: “At that time, I even felt that my badminton career had come to an end.”

Immediately after the Uber Cup came the Thailand Open. The day after the final, the women’s team trained together at the stadium. Wang Zhiyi had just stepped onto the court and suddenly felt dizzy—the moments of the final rushed into her mind, and she hurriedly walked out of the main entrance. “I didn’t know where to go, so I just stood there.” Later, coach Luo Yigang ran to the door to find her and comforted her, saying, “Little Wang, don’t be sad. Don’t question yourself because of one game.”

Such comfort timely fell into Wang Zhiyi’s heart. During that time, no one in the team blamed her for the loss, and she also received many messages of comfort and advice from seniors and teammates on her phone. Wang Zhiyi listened and understood that she couldn’t indulge too much in the defeat of one game. Rather than spending too much time in pain, it was better to actively face the difficulties.

To quickly accept defeat, Wang Zhiyi pulled out the video of the Uber Cup final from Bangkok in Thailand and watched it from beginning to end. Watching herself unable to cope with the opponent’s relentless pressure, she broke out in a cold sweat. She told herself to accept the emotions of the downturn, focus on what she could do at the moment, and each day would get better.

Wang Zhiyi

First pass this hurdle of her own

During the three-week training from Bangkok back to Chiang Mai, Wang Zhiyi, although not very willing to speak, knew that she had no choice but to think about it. Trauma takes time to resolve, and in the first stop of the Indonesian competition, Wang Zhiyi still felt the pressure in her heart. This reaction was like a shadow—it would cause traumatic stress reactions. However, the more difficult it was to cross, the stronger she had to endure.

Wang Zhiyi admitted that the situation did not improve until the second stop of the Indonesian competition. She played better on the court than before, and she still needed to change her jersey because she was worried about wearing the same color as her opponent. At this point, she knew she had regained some form and could play more focused and involved on the court. Wang Zhiyi gradually achieved what coach Luo Yigang had said before the game: “On the court, you have to pass this hurdle yourself.” She said: “Everyone has their difficulties. I have no retreat, so I must move on.”

For Wang Zhiyi, the experience of more than half a year on the battlefield has been extremely valuable, allowing her to recognize her position and goals. Today, she will not magnify expectations just because of one victory. “Maybe a strong player loses because of a bad day’s condition, not performing well. If you can maintain this condition or performance over a period of time, it proves that you have such stable strength.”

Compared with her teammates, Wang Zhiyi deeply understands that her roller coaster experience on the court stems from instability. “At this stage, I can challenge some top-ranked players, but I may not be able to overwhelm them with strength. Therefore, I need to make difficult preparations and fight for every game. Only in this way can I become a better version of myself. I think a rigorous mindset suits my playing style and personality.”

After more than half a year of competition, Wang Zhiyi confessed that now her assault on the field appears to be more varied, but in fact, she is constantly perfecting her tactics. She knows that she still lacks the agility and versatility of top players, especially when opponents adapt to her, her scoring methods become more singular. “I need to make myself more comprehensive!” Wang Zhiyi believes that there is still much she can absorb and learn.