At the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan became fiercely popular on the Internet.
Chen Qingchen relied on domineering on-court shouting to win the nicknames of "human C language master" and "sister Lucy", and Jia Yifan became a "cold face killer" in people's eyes, and the two became "traffic passwords" for a while.
But they are domineering and exposed on the field, and they also have a vulnerable side.
Chen Qingchen (left) and Jia Yifan (right).
Recently, the 2023 Sudirman Cup kicked off in Suzhou, and before the start of this team competition, the domineering Chen Qingchen on the field fell into deep anxiety and even couldn't help crying a few times.
She and her partner Jia Yifan have been sitting on the throne of world number one for 125 weeks. In the eyes of the fans, their victory is logical, and such expectations are enough to make people breathless.
As Jia Yifan said, "It is easy to fight the rivers and mountains, but it is difficult to guard the rivers and mountains." ”
Chen Qingchen (left) and Jia Yifan are firmly ranked No. 1 in the women's doubles world.
expect
After three years of waiting, the Sudirman Cup returned to China and ushered in the return of the live audience, and the battle of the fans surprised Chen Qingchen.
"The fans are very enthusiastic, and before the game started, there were already fans who liked the Chinese team waiting for us at the door (of the venue)." She told The Paper.
At the opening of the game, the cheers of the fans on the scene made Guoyu experience the feeling of home for a long time.
But for such a warm home atmosphere, Chen Qingchen also used four words to analyze - there are advantages and disadvantages.
Needless to say, the pros are naturally the downside - in the exchange with The Paper, more than one player mentioned this: that is, the expectation and pressure that comes with playing at home.
In China, the badminton team, a collective with a glorious history, affects the honor of the team, and may be more "terrible" for the players than the individual defeat in the final of the competition.
Previously, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan had won team gold medals for Guoyu in the team competition many times - such as the two consecutive Su Cup championships in 2019 and 2021, and the Uber Cup in 2021, but they also suffered the bitterness of defeat.
"If you play abroad, you may not be as nervous as you are now, but there are no absolutes, it depends on how we adjust better." In an exclusive interview with The Paper, Chen Qingchen's statement was very frank.
In Jia Yifan's words, winning the championship with the team in the team competition and watching the national flag go up is a completely different concept from the usual tour competition. It is precisely because of this that not only women's doubles, but also teammates in every event are actually under pressure.
"No one wants to perform well more than ourselves." Standing on the pitch, they are the people in the world who are most eager to hold victory in their hands.
First in the world
Perhaps in the eyes of many fans, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan are also the pair who "should" win for Guoyu.
In the description of Zhang Jun, president of the Chinese Badminton Association, mixed doubles and women's doubles are the events with the highest probability of scoring points in this year's Sudirman Cup - mixed doubles has world No. 1 Huang Yaqiong/Zheng Siwei, and in the women's doubles event, the pair of Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan is also world No. 1.
They have had this throne for a long time.
Since its debut at the top of the world number one in October 2017, the "Vanchen Group" has become a regular in the world number one position. Today, their number of world first weeks has reached 125 weeks, and they are about to surpass the data of Matsutomo Misaki / Takahashi Reika (127 weeks) to become the new second in history.
In every event, they are the biggest favourites to win the women's doubles event and have become the focus of all their opponents.
"Whoever wins Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan will win the championship of that competition." Such a joke from the outside world is not unreasonable.
"It's true that our ranking is number one in the world, and when people meet us, they try to play 200% of the game." Jia Yifan described the current situation of competition to the surging news reporter, "Everyone will also adjust their tactics for the two of us. ”
But the ranking of world number one is not a talisman for winning, on the contrary, it may be more appropriate to say that it is an additional burden.
"There are no absolutes in competitive sports, so I can't guarantee that we will be in good shape and win the game, maybe when I am in good shape, the opponent is in better shape and needs some luck."
Indeed, a little bit of luck, one or two unconscious reactions of key points, can determine the ultimate success or failure.
Even as the number one in the world, such cruel rules will not be half a point - "In fact, many times it is a point in the millimeter, but this is the game." Chen Qingchen said.
The domineering "Sister Lucy" Chen Qingchen.
Challenged
From the youth of the first pairing in 2014 to the current journey, whether it is the external competitive environment or the inner psychological state, the "Fanchen Group" has changed all the way.
"I don't know how much has changed, it has changed all the time." Mentioning the change of mentality along the way, Chen Qingchen stretched out his hand and made a gesture of rising and falling waves, "It's like a telephone line." ”
Speaking of his younger state, Chen Qingchen's tone was somewhat nostalgic, "At the beginning, we just rushed casually, fought casually, and were very happy to fight anything, and we were even happier when we washed out powerful opponents." ”
"Now it's the other way around, being casually rushed and beaten by others." Speaking of this, she and her partner Jia Yifan both smiled, "In the past, I really couldn't feel the mentality of my opponent when I hit others, but now I feel it thoroughly." ”
For such a change in mentality, Jia Yifan used an old saying to describe it, "It is easy to fight the rivers and mountains, but it is difficult to defend the rivers and mountains", "The challenger will indeed be a little easier." ”
Such changes can only be adapted, and must also be adapted, "In the past, it may have been capable and mindless, and now the mind may be more than in the past." Don't forget the losses you have suffered. ”
In fact, after being identified by Guoyu as the key combination of the women's doubles event, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan did not dare to slack off for a day. Before the Tokyo Olympics, they fought for the 2017 World Championships, plus a Su Cup title, Uber Cup title, Tour champion...
"You can't be impacting others forever, you can't say you've been impacting others for eight years." A real but also full of humorous summary once again made his partner Jia Yifan laugh.
trust
In the process of interviewing the "Fanchen Group", the last thing that is lacking is laughter. In the face of various challenges and pressures, the two chose not to suffer and have deep hatred, but to deal with it positively with a sunny mentality.
In the impression of fans and media, the duo even has a nickname: the crosstalk group. It refers to the likable character of the two who usually talk and sing and sing and humorous golden sentences frequently.
But in this pair, Jia Yifan, who is calm and calm on the field and has a bit of a "cold face killer" taste, is the one with a more lively personality off the field.
Originally from Tianjin, she has cultivated her Lotte humorous personality under the influence of her family since she was a child, so much so that she transmitted this personality to Chen Qingchen.
"I'm far from ten years ago." She explained to The Paper, "Ten years ago, I couldn't have been as talkative and cheerful as I am now. ”
Chen Qingchen also said that he used to be a "very timid" child, although he was very tough on the field, but "he really didn't like to negotiate very well off the field, he was not good at words, and he basically didn't have a humor cell." ”
But after nearly ten years with Jia Yifan, even the cold ice cubes were blown by the long-term warm wind, "It was to stay with her slowly, longer and longer, longer and longer, only to find that I seemed to be more and more different." ”
Jia Yifan, who is optimistic, also envies Chen Qingchen's ruthlessness when she comes to the arena, and she uses the word "spring" to describe her partner, "The lower the pressure, the higher it jumps, and will never give up." ”
"If I'm watching the game off the field, I'm definitely your fan, it's really a very good temperament and very attractive." Chen Qingchen, who said this, also looked embarrassed, but Jia Yifan still nodded seriously, "I'm serious." ”
Looking back on years of partner experience and summing up the secret of playing doubles well, Jia Yifan used this word: "Trust - just like marriage." ”
"In fact, when it is smooth sailing, it is easy to say that it is easy to see who is good. But when we really encounter difficulties, we will first summarize our own problems, and then raise each other's problems, and then solve them together. ”
"When you ask each other questions, you don't think you're targeting each other, but it's about putting them together. It can't be said that if you lose, it's all to blame each other, we enjoy and bear it together. ”
Chen Qingchen thought thoughtfully after listening to it, "I haven't thought of what the secret is, but listening to you say this, it feels really like this." ”
No regrets
Trust and support between each other is the secret of allowing two people to overcome setbacks and blows and fight all the way.
To this day, there are thousands of fans who regret that the "Fanchen combination" failed to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, and the picture of the two crying after the game also made countless people feel distressed, but for the pair, saying goodbye to the pain of the past and looking to the future.
In fact, after winning silver in Tokyo, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan regained their feelings at the badminton world championships at the end of 2021, winning the world championship for the second time in their careers, which was also the only gold medal of Guoyu in that event.
Heading into 2022, the two are once again holding their heads high and defending their World Championships again. Throughout the season, they have won a total of 7 titles and maintained a 100% winning percentage of all 7 finals, which is amazing to the outside world.
In Chen Qingchen's eyes, what can be done now and what can be done in the future is more worth thinking about, "The moment of the moment is the most important, rather than always looking at how it was before, because every day is actually different." ”
Even if there will be pressure in the face of the game, even if Sudirman Cup was so anxious that she couldn't hold back tears, she continued to rush forward hand in hand with her partner. After all, as Jia Yifan said, "You are working hard, the opponent is also working hard, and your way opponent is also thinking of a way." ”
After winning the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, they hugged each other and comforted each other.
After all, time flies, the Paris Olympics are getting closer and closer, and the two still need to continue to support the national badminton in the women's doubles event.
In Jia Yifan's heart, there is a "ten-year contract" with Chen Qingchen: by 2024, the two will be paired with a partner for exactly ten years. After ten years of ups and downs, can we achieve one of the most gratifying results?
The dream is still big, but the meal still has to be eaten bite by bite. "First of all, make sure you are healthy, if you are injured or mentally stressed, you may not even have the opportunity to participate in the Olympics. The competition within the team is fierce and the young people are rising. Jia Yifan's words are very straightforward and realistic.
"It's useless to think too much, but it will make people more anxious, just go all out and leave no regrets." After Chen Qingchen finished speaking, Jia Yifan on the side also nodded immediately.
The story of the "Fanchen Group" is not finished.