Chen Yufei of China defeats Carolina Marin of Spain 21-18 and 21-19 in the women's singles final at the Indonesia Open in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 18, 2023. /CFP
After Chen Yufei of China beat Carolina Marin of Spain 21-18 and 21-19 in the women's singles final to win the event's title at the Indonesia Open on June 18, she told Xinhua News Agency, "I want to thank Chen Yufei for defeating Chen Yufei."
Before going to Indonesia, Chen competed in the Sudirman Cup in China's Suzhou City on behalf of China in May. She lost to world No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi in the women's singles match in the semifinals against Japan. The result threw China into an unfavorable situation and placed Chen under a lot of pressure and criticism.
"I heard a lot of voices and read a lot of comments. I told myself, those people don't know me. Only I know that I did my best there," Chen later said about the loss.
Chen Yufei of China competes in the Sudirman Cup semifinals women's singles match against Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 20, 2023. /CFP
Fortunately for Chen, her teammates stood by her. They kept telling her not to worry, that "they got this." China defeated Japan 3-2 in the end. Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi secured a key comeback win in the men's doubles match. Their performances became a great encouragement for her.
"In desperate times, as long as you don't give up, there will be a chance," Chen told herself.
In the Sudirman Cup final against South Korea, Chen appeared in the women's singles match when China led 2-0. She overcame the pressure and beat An Se-young 21-16 and 22-20 to seal the title for her team.
Chen Yufei of China competes in the Sudirman Cup final women's singles match against An Se-young of South Korea in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 21, 2023. /CFP
"Team" has been a special word for Chen in her career. "The team trained me, chose me and made me who I am. I wouldn't have become the player in me today without the team," she told Xinhua. "The team is with me every day of my career. My coach, my brothers and sisters, my medical and other staff, they made me the player that competes on the court. That's why I feel responsible for all of them. I won't give up on any match they enable me to play in."
Chen won the women's singles gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, breaking a nine-year-long drought for China. She is currently No. 4 in the world, and her teammates He Bingjiao, Wang Zhiyi and Han Yue are also among the top 10.
"The women's singles team is growing better and better, but we need to achieve more breakthroughs," Chen said. "A couple of years ago, the coach wanted me to become the captain and shoulder more responsibilities with authority. I decided to accept and encourage my teammates with actual performance."
"I keep telling everyone that we are as good as others, especially the world's top three. I encourage them to face the top opponents bravely because we have a chance to win," she said.
Chen Yufei of China celebrates after defeating An Se-young of South Korea 21-16 and 22-20 in the Sudirman Cup final women's singles match in Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 21, 2023. /CFP
Chen struggled for months after winning the gold in Tokyo until she learned how to adjust her mindset. "I still target at victory, but will pay more attention to the process," Chen told Xinhua. "The result of one match decides nothing. I need to look at the bigger goal into the longer future."
Playing for fun helped Chen go through the difficult period with a more peaceful mindset. "Like in the Sudirman Cup, I was having fun the whole time. I just wanted to go to the court and release myself, and then I won. I will continue to play with this feeling," she said.
Chen will be one of China's biggest hopes for the women's singles gold in the Paris Olympics in 2024. Though she still has some work to do in enhancing her endurance and power, she is confident she will reach her best form in a year.