In the second part of the interview, Lee looks back at important matches, partners, opponents and friends of her career.
Looking back on your career, are there any memorable moments for you?
There are many happy moments, and engaging in the sport of badminton is my own choice because I love it. Although it is sometimes bitter, there are many difficulties to face, and it can be frustrating to lose, but I think I have always enjoyed the process. What I remember most is probably the world championship match against Matsutomo Misaki and Reiwa Takahashi, a game in which both we and our opponents did our best to interpret the spirit of competitive sports on the field. The biggest gain that game brought to me was to explain to everyone what sportsmanship is and what is the spirit of hard work. My partner and I gave it our all, gave it our all, and never gave up. This spirit is my most memorable and my happiest moment. Any time I think of this game, it gives me great encouragement.
Your last international match was at the Tokyo Olympics, do you have any memories of the Tokyo Olympics?
I think the Olympics were a very sacred game, and the most memorable memory I think was our final loss to Polly and Rahayu. Polly's determined look was something I had never seen before, and she eventually won the championship. In fact, each of us has put in a lot of effort, but to become an Olympic champion, there are still many other factors to support, and efforts are only one of them.
I feel sorry that the Chinese team did not win the championship in the end, and I also blame myself, because I failed to defeat them. At the same time, I also feel very touched, Polly's persistence is indeed worthy of everyone's admiration.
Who is the hardest opponent of your career?
The first is Reiwa Takahashi / Misaki Matsutomo, which I think are very difficult to beat. In my career, I consider them to be my most respectable and worthy opponents to learn from. They have no obvious weaknesses and are very tactically flexible and adaptable on the field.
No matter what kind of opponents they can maintain the most stable play, I think this is the most powerful place, every time I play with them, I need to make a lot of preparation. The second is the pair of Peterson and Yule, whose attacks are so fierce that I envy them.
Then there is my teammate Chen Qingchen /Jia Yifan, who has absolute top strength, and I think it should be the strongest in women's doubles today. They have now reached another level, and it is difficult for opponents to break through them again.
As a strong Member of the Chinese Team, how do you feel?
The Chinese team is a united and fraternal collective, we live together, and our faith is very firm. This team has brought me a lot of courage and strength, and it's not just me, it's a rope that all of us have twisted together. This strength needs to be passed on, and each of our generations is united, and it is also the most central place in our team.
What have you been most proud of in your career?
I have always felt that the team competition is the most important, the team symbolizes the whole team, and I represent China. My proudest achievements are the Sudirman Cup in 2019, including the 2019 Asian Team Championship. I feel very honored to be able to defend the honor for the country.
You've played against a lot of foreign players, which player is the best relationship?
Too much, I have a good relationship with Mayu Matsumoto, as well as Yuki Fukushima and Koharu Yonemoto. Wu Liuying and Wen Kewei in Malaysia and Yang Jiamin in Singapore. At first, they didn't have WeChat, and I would teach them to download and chat together. Matsumoto Mayu's WeChat was still registered for her, and I was also her first friend on WeChat. They will send me WeChat to care about me.
How do you rate your partners? Which partner is the most intimate with you?
I am most grateful to Zhang Nan because he taught me a lot of things. Huang Dongping is a partner who guides me and is also the partner who can best break through myself.
Du Yue's words we have known each other since we were very young, and I think this kind of feeling is very valuable. In fact, I am a very stubborn person, so long accumulated feelings, various experiences mixed together, I still feel very happy. I think each partner has their own characteristics and can teach me a lot of things. Let me realize the truth of life, or the improvement of badminton thinking, they have helped me a lot at different stages, and they are also the people who accompany me at every stage.
Aside from badminton, what other sport do you like?
I also love playing tennis, and I learned tennis when I was a kid and I'm learning it now. I've been learning snowboarding recently, so I still love places like Switzerland and Japan where there is snow. My athletic genes are better, I play tennis well, and football is good haha.
Do you have any regrets in your career?
I don't think I have any regrets, because every decision is made by myself, every road is taken by myself, so I am happy.