Shi Yuqi of China will participate in the Badminton World Federation World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, from August 22 to 28. This will be the first formal tournament he attends since his suspension ended in July.

When Shi played Kento Momota of Japan in the first men's singles match of the Thomas Cup semifinals in October 2021, he lost the first game 22-20 and then decided to quit while trailing 20-5 in the second game. His early exit and post-match interview drew heavy criticism. Shi responded to some of the criticism with improper words. As a result, the Chinese Badminton Association and Chinese national team handed him a one-year ban, which ended two months early.

Shi played practice matches with compatriots Lu Guangzu and Zhao Junpeng in Tokyo on Saturday. "I'm in good form because I have been training regularly," Shi told Xinhua News Agency in an interview. "There were a lot of teammates and backup team members trying helping me during daily practice. I couldn't play formal matches, so we were working together trying to create a competitive environment."

Missing too many competitions because of the ban cost Shi a lot of world standings points. He is currently No. 25 in the world. Despite that, he is confident in himself for the World Championships.

"I'm glad to stand on the court again and I get to play in the World Championships for my comeback match," Shi said. "I won't think too much about it, but try to perform at my best match by match. I will try to prepare as well as I can for every match, forget about the result and just focus on the process."

Shi's first opponent will be Ade Resky Dwicahyo of Indonesia. If he plays like he used to, Shi will face his first major challenge in the quarterfinals against world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. The last time the two played each other, Shi lost 2-0 in the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics.

No Chinese player has won the men's singles title at the World Championships since Chen long in 2015. Shi had the chance to change that in 2018, but lost to Momota in the final.

"I'm excited about all the expectations on me," Shi said. "I really want to win a title to prove myself. But I have to win every match to get there. There is no need to think about that right now."