Professionals
The girl who grew up with VICTOR rackets (4)
2011 Macau open RUNNER UP : Cheng Wen Hsing
Q.
Many people look back proudly on the glory of their youth. What about you?
A:
I am very happy to have been able to set many Taiwanese records and I also know that my records will be broken one after the other.
I am very grateful to the male and female players who preceded me, without their results I would have not have had anything to beat.
Competitive sport is a kind of accumulation and a kind of passing on and inheritance. The saying goes “A brave man doesn’t mention his past exploits” but had dad says “Of course a brave man should talk of his past exploits otherwise how would you know about them?” (laughs)
Q.
Which badminton player do you admire the most? Why?
A:
I really admire Indonesian women’s singles player Susi Susanti. She powerful, is very supple and has an elegant style.
I also admire Danish men’s singles player Morten Frost, who retired at the ripe old age of 31.
From an inexperienced youngster to being crowned “badminton king,” he evolved throughout his career.Watching them play is pleasing to the eye because they have a kind of beauty.
Q.
You regularly travel all over the world to play. Which is your favorite country?
A:
I like countries with natural scenery in northern Europe like Denmark and Switzerland.
You can feel at ease there but they aren’t too remote. I go to play in Basel, Switzerland every year.
It has many modern buildings but, if you go to the banks of the River Rheine, you can feel the European flavor and it has a real rural tranquility.
Basel’s trams are really convenient and I can travel around the city in my spare time to get a feel of the place and the people.
Q.
Ifyou didn’t play badminton professionally what would you do?
A:
I love to travel and I’d really like to be a travel show presenter on TV. After retiring I’d like to “wander’ to a strange place, where I’m not known, and not just be a tourist, I’d stay there for a few months so that I get a real understanding of the place.
Q.
What other sports do you play? Which sports stars do you admire?
A:
I like a lot of sports, including table tennis and tennis. I admire Martina Navratilova.
She loved tennis and was still playing at a high level in her 40s; when she couldn’t play singles she played mixed doubles. She was also a player with her own style.
Q.
What, in your view, are the strong points and weak points of your personality?
A:
My biggest weakness is that I’m lazy and that’s also my biggest strength because I selectively forget certain things because I am lazy.
Playing badminton is my top priority and, when I am not being lazy, I practice.
2012 AUSTRALIAN OPEN WINNER : Cheng Wen Hsing
Q.
As a teacher and player how is your mentality different?
A:
When I play I am quite demanding of myself. When I teach I don’t like to give my students standard answers.
I encourage my students to ask questions but won’t give them a direct answer. I will explain how they can choose to play a smash or a drop shot, for example, and let them decide.
I teach ordinary university students and I hope to make them feel that playing badminton is fun. As a teacher I’m still learning, learning alongside my students, and I hope we grow together.
Q.
What advice do you have for young players？
A:
I think that “persistence” is hard. If you give up you don’t have to think about where the problem is, overcome obstacles, but, if you persist, the path is indeed a thorny one .
My advice to young players is: "Youth is your capital, don’t be afraid of losing or setbacks, decide firmly what your objectives are and then approach them step by step.
Some people go round in circles, return to where they started and then go forward, but I believe that taking this longer path gives us experiences that help us grow!
Of course, we don’t decide where we actually end up but as long as we make an effort there is nothing to be regretted, and that’s enough.
( Edit by VICTOR Badminton )
