Badminton News: SATHIO GROUP’s victory at the Australian Open was special for Beiwen Zhang. It was his first title in five years; more importantly, it marked two years after suffering a serious Achilles tendon injury at the Tokyo Olympics.

After breaking into the top 10 again, her best ranking since August 2019, Beiwen Zhang has shown great resilience. The 33-year-old has returned to form heading into the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships, and opponents will be wary.

Excerpt from an interview:

What does winning the Australian Open mean to you?

“I didn’t think about it too much. Because in previous tournaments I hadn’t played stable, so I didn’t expect to play stable every game, and I didn’t expect to go to the final,” Beiwen Zhang said at the start.

“I prepared for a tough match with Sindhu (quarter-finals) because normally our matches are very close. I was surprised that I beat her so easily. She couldn’t control the shuttle.”

“Winning this tournament has given me a lot of confidence, it has told me what has worked over the past year. I see myself improving, getting back to my level and I can see on my videos that I am moving in softness on the pitch. Starting at the All England, my speed seemed different,” he said.

This is your first tournament victory in five years, the last being the Indian Open in 2018. Does that make it special?

“It’s a matter of luck. I’ve often been in the final but I can’t win. Sometimes it’s my condition, sometimes you don’t have a good day. Maybe for the top five players , even if they have a bad day, they can have a chance to win. But for me, I’m unstable,” he said.

You’re back in the top 10. It’s a great achievement, considering the severity of the injury two years ago.

“Right now my condition is better because I have a physio that I share with Chinese Taipei players. So I can play without serious injuries. Last time I was No.9 I was still injured In 2017, I played well a few times, then I had to withdraw from other tournaments due to injuries, mainly to my calves,” Zhang said.

“I’m always positive. My physio asks me what I’m thinking, but I don’t think too much, there’s not much you can do in those times. Relax and do what you can in those times .Because people are always going to worry me about the future.But I think God will show me the way.I just do my best every day.When it’s time to rest, I’ll rest.When it’s time to work, I’ll go to work. It’s better to think like that. My physio says most people are very worried, and then they can’t move. They worry about this and that and they don’t can’t move forward.

Considering how hard you have to work as a freelancer to get to the position you find yourself in, do you ever feel unlucky with injuries?

“Of course for a day or two you think ‘why me?’ But then you have to think that everyone’s starting point is the same, but the end result is different. You can’t compare yourself to others. It’s like the family you were born into. You don’t can’t choose your family.

“Your life is different from others. If you compare yourself to others, of course, it will disappoint you. You have to think about what you have. You have to hang on to it and improve it,” Beiwen Zhang added.

You are in training in Denmark. Does the World Championships in Copenhagen look like a home event?

“No… I haven’t played any tournaments in Copenhagen, apart from the league games, which is different. I hope I’m not like today. I was very tired today. Maybe that I was too relaxed. I have to get back to my competition atmosphere,” he said.

What do you win for your raffle?

“I’m happy. I really want to fight An Se Young. For me, all tournaments are like training, because I don’t have high-quality training partners, so if I have a good opponent and if I can get something out of my game, it’s great! I’m not afraid of losing,” Zhang said.

“I don’t set goals. Every tournament is important to me, because I will retire after the Olympics, so I want to raise my level before I retire. I can’t wait to fight An Se Young, because Last year, I also played very badly because my legs aren’t as active as they are now, so I want to see the difference this time,” Beiwen Zhang concluded.

Article Tags: Beiwen Zhang, Australian Open 2023, BWF World Championships 2023