With the Sudirman Cup trophy, Guoyu is about to go to the next stop.
Paris Olympics, Thomas Cup, Uber... In the future, there will still be more hurdles waiting to be crossed, and in the process, Guoya needs more fresh blood.
Happily, on the stage of this year's Sudirman Cup, people saw newcomers standing on the stage.
Whether it is to show a bright performance or to expose problems that need to be improved, it is a necessary way to grow up. "I believe that through these two years, our players will become more and more mature." Zhang Jun, chairman of the Chinese Badminton Association, said.
The great reversal of Liu Yuchen/Ou Weiyi will forever enshrine the history of Guoyu.
The new combination supports new hopes for men's doubles
Liu Yuchen, 28, and Ou Yiyi, 29, are not newcomers to the national team in terms of age, but the doubles formed by the two is a new combination launched in the Paris Olympic cycle.
After winning the silver medal in the men's doubles at the Tokyo Olympics, Liu Yuchen's old partner Li Junhui chose to retire, and he then entered the process of trying to match with many teammates, and last year he began to pair with Ou Weiyi, and this Sudirman Cup gave birth to the classic battle of the pair.
Liu Yuchen (right)/Ou Weiyi combination.
In the semi-final against Japan, when the Chinese team was about to be eliminated after losing another game, they saved four consecutive match points and achieved a shocking reversal, creating a classic in the Su Cup and even the entire history of badminton.
Before you know it, this "new twin tower combination" has actually rushed to the forefront of the world.
In 2022, after officially starting to match, the two, who are eager to fix their partners, have finally found the right pace. German Open runner-up, Korean Masters runner-up, Indonesia Open champion, Australian Open champion, year-end final...
So far, the two who have not been in the game for a long time have quickly rushed to No. 5 in the world rankings. Coupled with the excellent performance of three games and three wins in this year's Su Cup, the future of the new combination is even more worth looking forward to.
The whole team celebrates winning the championship.
"The men's doubles event is fast, losing at the slightest mistake and being very competitive for many years, so we will try to do our best and qualify for the Olympics." When it comes to future planning, Liu Yuchen is still very pragmatic.
This view has also been recognized by his former partner Li Junhui, who has now served as the image spokesperson of VICTOR after retiring.
"Men's doubles has always been the most competitive among the five events, and it is relatively close, and the top 20 combinations in the world can almost play back and forth." Li Junhui told The Paper.
For Liu Yuchen's future matches, he sent his blessings, "For our national badminton men's doubles, the more important thing is to have this belief in winning on the court. ”
Leung Wai Hang (right) / Wang Chang combination.
Young people, full of vigorous power
It was under the support of the belief in winning that the "New Twin Towers Combination" of the first partner in the Sudirman Cup created a high-profile performance. But in addition to them, younger newcomers are also attracting attention.
For example, another pair of men's doubles in the Su Cup list, 23-year-old Liang Weihang and his partner, 22-year-old Wang Chang, as a younger force in the men's doubles event, their performance has also been expected.
In the 2022 season, the duo also performed well, winning the Indonesian Masters runner-up, the Japan Open championship, etc., and entering the 2023 season, their results even surpassed Liu Yuchen/Ou Yiyi, winning the Malaysian Open runner-up, the Indian Open championship, and the semifinals of the All England Championship.
Chen Yufei said that Guoyu will strive to regain the Tangyou Cup in the future. Video Editor Xu Chuli (01:01)
In this year's Sudirman Cup, Leung Wai Keng/Wang Chang also won the group stage against Singapore in their debut game. They were also included in the line-ups for the quarter-finals against Indonesia and the final against South Korea.
It's just that because both of these games were swept 3-0, both of them ended the game before they could play. But the coaching staff's confidence in putting the pair on the list in such a crucial battle is a testament to their trust and expectations.
"Young, this is our main advantage now, young must dare to fight, and our speed is relatively fast." When analyzing the characteristics of himself and his partner, Leung Wai Hang said.
At present, their world ranking has also reached No. 6, following Liu Yuchen/Ou Weiyi.
The newcomer's trustworthy performance also made Zhang Jun, president of the Chinese Badminton Association and head coach of the national team doubles team, feel gratified, "We now have two excellent pairs of men's doubles, and the overall strength is indeed stronger than before. ”
Li Shifeng in the game.
The team sent me up, it was to give it my all
There are not many young people worth paying attention to at Guoyu at present, and this year's 23-year-old men's singles rising star Li Shifeng is one of them.
Although in most cases, Guoyu needs the number one men's singles Shi Yuqi to play to take on the heavy responsibility of the Su Cup, Li Shifeng only played one game in the group stage against Denmark (won 2-1), but the experience of playing in the Su Cup for the first time in his career still made him benefit a lot.
"There will be difficulties, it will not be easy, but it is an inspiration for my growth." At that time, he told the surging news reporter, "There must be no problem in confidence, the team sent me up, that is, go all out." ”
At the All England Open in March this year, Li Shifeng defeated his big brother Shi Yuqi in the final to win the most weighty championship of his career so far, which also made him ignite more fighting spirit, "The experience of participating in so many competitions is very helpful to myself, after all, confidence needs to be accumulated by winning." ”
Zhang Jun, Chairman of the Chinese Badminton Association, commented on the performance of the national badminton competition. Video Editor Xu Chuli (02:28)
As Lee Junhui said, "Not all competitions are smooth sailing, and not all competitions are without chance." In his opinion, what young players need is the courage to "stand up when they have an opportunity". Now in the new generation of players such as Li Shifeng, this courage can be seen.
Tang Jinhua, a badminton celebrity who is also the spokesperson of VICTOR's image, also said, "Young people should not be afraid of losing, they must dare to compare, dare to summarize, so as not to make the same mistakes." ”
"Especially in the team competition, even if they don't play, feeling the cohesion and unity in the team, and feeling the game on the spot, will also greatly improve and help them."
Feng Yanzhe still needs to experience.
Young people should not be afraid to lose
Indeed, in addition to gaining confidence from victories, it is also necessary to find and make up for shortcomings from defeats, which is also a compulsory course for young players.
In this year's Sudirman Cup, the 22-year-old Feng Yanzhe suffered a setback - in the semifinal with Japan, he partnered Huang Dongping in the first mixed doubles match, but after too many mistakes in the tiebreaker lead, the final loss left the Chinese team in a bitter situation.
After that game, Mr. Feng, who appeared in front of reporters, was frustrated and kept his head down when he spoke — a memorable loss he said he learned a lot.
"After this competition, I feel that there is still a big gap between myself and the elite athletes, whether it is the control of the rhythm on the field or the calmness of the mentality, including the ability to read the game on the field, it is still far from enough." He told The Paper.
In fact, as Liu Cheng, a famous national feather figure, put forward in his exchange with The Paper, "Young people, they must have experienced less things in this kind of competition, so they need more psychological counseling." Because I was also young, I won my first world title in the Su Cup, and I was very nervous at the time. ”
For young players, mistakes are inevitable. Looking back at previous team events, whether it is Huang Yaqiong, Chen Qingchen, Jia Yifan, or even Chen Long, there have been situations where the team was affected by poor performance.
It's a painful memory for any player, but it doesn't stop them from learning from it and climbing to greater heights.
As Zhang Jun said, "Young team members, if they don't use it, they will never dare to use it." "The reason why Guoyu has been able to have new people on the stage over the years, the opportunity and trust that the team has given them in the competition, are all important factors.