After a three-month hiatus, Momota returned to the international arena and showed an unprecedented sense of relaxation on the court of the Chengdu Tangyou Cup. Ten years after winning the Thomas Cup, the ace player who created the pinnacle of Japanese badminton men's singles history climbed shoulder to shoulder with his teammates to the highest honor in the world badminton men's team. However, this trip to the soup cup has a different meaning for Momota, who will fight with the team until the end in the name of the curtain call.
Just after the Japanese badminton team announced the Thomas Cup roster, everyone was still surprised and surprised to see the name of "Kento Momota", Momota immediately announced that this would be his career farewell match. As the first Japanese player in history to win the World Championships men's singles title and world No. 1 in the past ten years, Momota has written a new chapter in the history of a generation of legendary players. With him missing out on the Paris Olympics, Momota only made one appearance at the Indonesia Masters in January for the 2024 season, and then disappeared from view. Now, despite slipping to No. 52 in the world rankings, Momota is back in the box, eager to do his best in this final team event for the sake of team glory.
In the past few decades, Momota Kento has competed in the Thomas Cup 5 times, from the second singles to the first singles to the current three singles, winning 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronzes. The fearlessness of those youthful years, the courage of the ban period, the invincibility after the return, and the unfulfilled ambition after the car accident...... are all kneaded into the current Momota Kento.
On the field of the Chengdu Thomas Cup, we saw Momota's extremely light body. He played the first two games of the group stage and won 2-0. In the game, regardless of whether he scored or not, the smile always hung on his face, which was a warm scene that had never been seen in previous games. He would raise his arms to celebrate a good goal, and he would also respond to the cheers from the crowd, relieving the pressure on his heart Momota and enjoying the game in Chengdu. After the game, he thanked the audience: "I deeply feel the enthusiasm of the audience from Chengdu, thank you!"
Similarly, those opponents who once stood across the net from Momota also expressed encouragement and understanding. Indonesia's Ginting said he was shocked to learn the news, saying: "I believe that the last few months have been very difficult for Momota and he should have the life he wants to live. As Momota's successor, Kodai Naraoka, who is now the No. 1 men's singles player in Ben, also admitted: "Momota is a very good men's singles player, we played together, and I learned a lot from him. In addition, as a contemporaneous player of a similar age, Shi Yuqi sent a message to Momota after the game: "I'm sorry to hear the news of your retirement, come on for the soup cup competition!" Momota also replied after receiving the news: "Shi Yuqi is a talented player, and playing against him always gives me a headache, and I hope to have the opportunity to play together on the court in the future." ”
Of course, Momota Kento also has a careful wish on this trip, that is, to meet Chen Long. Yesterday evening, Chen Long, who came to cheer for the Chinese team, and Momota after training had a happy meeting on the sidelines. It was the first time for the two to see each other outside the court, and the introverted Momota was a little shy the whole time, accompanied by the head coach of the Japanese team, Park Joo-bong and Yosuke Nakanishi. Chen Long expressed his understanding and regret for Momota's choice to retire, and assured Momota that his life after retirement would be just as exciting. Momota also recalled the two at the 2015 World Championships, saying that he felt the strength of Chen Long from that time. Hearing the praise of the "fan brother", Chen Long said that it was because he was older than him and still had a certain advantage in experience. At the end of the meeting, Chen Long and Momota agreed to continue to shine for their beloved badminton in amateur competitions in the future.