Tai Tzu Ying’s game was not played so much as performed. For years, she made the shuttle levitate, pause mid-air, and change directions as if it obeyed her whim alone. Every flick of her wrist carried both elegance and mischief, it was like poetry in disguise. But last month, the artist laid her wand to rest.
After months of speculation and a long battle with knee injuries, Taiwan’s beloved “deception queen” confirmed her retirement. “A beautiful chapter has come to an end. Thank you badminton for everything you have given me,” she wrote in a heartfelt post. “Last year was the toughest time of my career… I couldn’t end my career the way I had hoped, and it took me a while to come to terms with that.”
Even though she had not competed professionally in over a year and her ranking had fallen to around 1,300, she remained – and continues to remain – a living reminder of a rare kind of greatness, the kind that transcends results and trophies. Some athletes move with such style and poise, yet compete with ruthless intensity, that their performance becomes more than a contest… it transforms into a display of pure artistry.
Tennis wizard Roger Federer is a prime example; so, too, basketball legend Michael Jordan, willow tactician V.V.S. Laxman, and boxing genius Muhammad Ali. They all possessed that special quality: making the complex look simple. Federer’s one-handed backhand, Jordan’s mid-air manoeuvres, Laxman’s effortless flicks and Ali’s invisible shuffle all defied logic.
Tzu Ying belongs to this lineage. She danced on the court, deceived like a conjurer, and played with a freedom that seemed closer to art than sport.
Gill Clark, the Voice of Badminton, has also noted that these athletes share another thing in common – all are regarded as the best ever in their sports. Yet interestingly, none holds the crown of records in Grand Slams, NBA titles, World Cup or World title defence.
Aptly named Tzu Ying, which means talented, “her exceptionally fast movement was powerful, yet smooth and graceful,” noted Clark. The 31-year-old was born in Kaohsiung, a city in the southern region of the island of Taiwan, where she still resides. “My father was my first coach, and also my favourite person,” said Tai. She picked up badminton in primary school, becoming a top-group player nationally by the age of 12. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) archives contain international results for Tzu Ying as early as 2007, when she was just 13.
The prodigy made her BWF Grand Prix debut two years later (2009) on home soil at the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold before going on to reach the final of the Vietnam Open that season. She also played the final of the Singapore Open Super Series in 2010 on her 16th birthday.
It was in 2011 that Tzu Ying made her major breakthrough, winning the US Open Grand Prix Gold championship — her maiden international title — something the shuttler still ranks as her “most memorable” sporting achievement.
During her career, she displayed her artistry and mastery on countless occasions, but a few stood out. The shuttler was named in Chinese Taipei’s Olympic team for London 2012. The 18-year-old, the 10th seed, emerged from her preliminary group with two comfortable wins, but fell to eventual champion Li Xuerui of China in the round of 16.
Tzu Ying didn’t take long to bounce back. Weeks later, she lifted the Japan Open Super Series trophy by overcoming Japan’s Eriko Hirose in a 57-minute battle and earned the distinction of becoming the first Taiwan player to clinch a Super Series singles title. That she was the youngest champion in Super Series history proved the icing on the cake (Ratchanok Intanon and Akane Yamaguchi went on to break the record later).
The following year brought heartbreak when Tzu Ying reached the BWF World Super Series Finals but lost to Xuerui once again, this time in the summit clash. In 2014, however, Tai’s clever variations and blistering smashes forced Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun to surrender in the title decider, the 21-17, 21-12 scoreline reflecting her domination. The win was doubly sweet as Sung had beaten her twice the previous season. The triumph made her the first player from Chinese Taipei to win the season-ending Finals.
Cut to 2016, the Taiwan ace went the distance again, making her the second player to win the Superseries Finals title twice (Li Xuerei the other). She also scripted history by reaching the women’s singles final thrice.
The crowning glory that year was the World No. 1 ranking, the first time she had climbed to the top. Tzu Ying was 22 when she achieved the feat, and her rank remained undisturbed for 72 weeks until April 2018.
Though she was the top-ranked woman and the one her rivals were gunning for, Tzu Ying never rested on her laurels. In January, at the Malaysia Masters semifinal, she staged one of the greatest comebacks in women’s badminton. Trailing Rio 2016 Olympic champion Carolina Marin 8-16 in the third game, she held her nerve and started chipping away at the yawning gap. Point by point, Tzu Ying closed it to 16-20, but was still on the brink. In a sensational rally that left the Spaniard stunned, the never-say-die attitude of the Taiwan star came to the fore as she won 12-21, 21-15, 23-21. The thriller lasted an hour and 19 minutes.
In 2018, the legend Tzu Ying continued to grow. She made history at the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018, defeating two of India’s finest — Saina Nehwal in the semifinals and P.V. Sindhu in the final. “She has such a complete game that you don’t know where to play her, or how to win points. I was really confused on court,” Saina admitted afterward.
“I don’t think in world badminton, there has ever been a girl who has been as deceptive as Tai,” said P. Gopichand after Sindhu lost the Asian Games 2018 gold to Tzu Ying. Hers was the first women’s singles gold for Taiwan at the Asian extravaganza.
Her consistency reached a new level after winning the Denmark Open as she crossed 100,000 ranking points – the second woman to do so after Li Xuerei – and finished the year with 101,667 points, a record for women’s singles.
In 2019, Tzu Ying continued a tear of finals appearances. She reached her third straight All England title decider in March (lost to China’s Chen Yufei) and bounced back to win back-to-back titles at the Malaysia and Singapore Opens, defeating Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara.
In July, at the Indonesia Open, she fell in the semifinal to Yamaguchi and did not defend the title. Tzu Ying maintained her dominance over Sindhu until BWF World Tour Finals 2018 and yet again in the 2019 World championships in Basel when the Indian star finally turned the tables on the Taiwanese with a three-game win in the quarterfinals.
Despite the hiccups, her trophies continued to grow. She had won three All England titles (2017, 18, 20) in four straight finals. In fact, her 2020 All England triumph (over Chen Yufei, 21-19, 21-15) made her only the second woman after Ye Zhaoying to win three titles and also reach the summit clash four successive times.
In 2021, the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics brought perhaps her most dramatic outing yet. The World No.1 stormed into the gold medal match, enchanting fans with her magical shot-making all week. But, in the final, she ran into a determined Yufei. In a tense, high-quality marathon, Tzu Ying ultimately fell 18-21, 21-19, 18-21.
Even in defeat, the spectators applauded her with a standing ovation as she bowed to the cheering crowd for her skill, spirit and extraordinary career. The silver was Taiwan’s first Olympic badminton medal in women’s singles. Though speculation was rife about the 26-year-old’s retirement, she probably resolved to carry on for several more seasons.
Her adventurous journey continued through 2023. In December, at the season-ending World Tour Finals, she produced an incredible comeback. In the semifinal, she trailed World No.1 An Se-young by nine points (10-19) before bridging the gap to four (16-20) in the decider. Even she admitted that “there was no hope in the third game.” Yet Tzu Ying refused to throw in the towel.
In one of the most stunning rallies of her career and in the history of the game, she clawed back inch by inch, saving match points and ultimately flipping 10-19 into a 22-20 victory. She ended 2023 on a high, winning her fourth consecutive World Tour Finals in Hangzhou after a victory over, who else, Marin, confirming her status as one of badminton’s all-time greats.
Tzu Ying opened 2024 strongly, finishing runner-up at the Malaysia Open before claiming the India Open title with a win over Olympic champion Yufei. Consistent runs – she reached the last four at All England and the French Open – kept her in the world’s top five.
Off court, she began discussing life after hanging up her racquet. In a June 2024 interview, she reiterated that the leap year (2024) would be her final one, and even spoke of travelling around Taiwan and starting a family once she quits. At the Paris Games, Tzu Ying was one of the most experienced players. She won her opening match, but suffered a 19-21, 15-21 reverse against Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the final group game. Intanon said she knew it was their last match together, and was struggling to hold back tears. They hugged and it was as if Tzu Ying understood the bittersweet emotion Intanon felt while defeating her. Tzu Ying herself broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Both players believe that playing each other was “like looking into a mirror.”
After Paris, she returned to the tour but soon found her body failing to cope. She withdrew from several tournaments, including the Japan and Hong Kong Open, and exited early at the China and Taipei Open. She formally withdrew from all the remaining commitments to recover and undergo knee surgery.
She also had the honour of serving as Chinese Taipei’s flag-bearer, leaving the Olympics on a dignified note as a Tokyo silver medallist and four-time World No. 1. Tzu Ying gave Taiwanese badminton unprecedented global recognition that went beyond medals. A true patriot, she skipped the 2017 World championship when she was in top form in order to play in the World University Games for her country. “I have no regrets… the Worlds you can win next year. But the University Games was the biggest sporting event that my country had ever hosted. For me, it was more important to be part of that,” she said.
Her resume is formidable. She held the World No. 1 ranking for more than 200 weeks, won multiple Super Series and World Tour crowns, and defeated every top player of her era. Yet, two coveted prizes — the World Championship and Olympic Gold — eluded her. But that does not diminish her brilliance as she is celebrated among the sport’s greatest artists of all time.
There is a difference between the ‘most successful’ and ‘the best’ when judging sporting status, Clark points out. Success can be counted in numbers, but greatness is tough to measure. Greatness lies in how an athlete changes the way we watch a sport. By that yardstick, Tzu Ying stands above the rest.
In March 2025, Taiwan hosted the Yingcredible Career – Tai Tzu Ying Tribute Exhibition, organised by her long-time sponsor Victor displaying her rackets, medals, and memorabilia from 32 international titles. Tzu Ying herself attended the opening and remarked that such exhibitions are usually held for retired players; she quipped, “I guess it’s fine if you want to say I’ve retired.” A few months on, it really is fine to say that now.
In September 2025 when Tzu Ying returned at Kaohsiung’s Red Bull 3v3 event (her first public match since stepping away due to knee injuries), she proved that even beyond the professional circuit, she could still draw a crowd and continues to be a role model for players across Asia and beyond. “Thank you all for not forgetting me. I was so happy to see so many fans stay until the end just to watch our exhibition match,” she wrote later on Instagram.
Fans still cherish her creativity, often replaying highlights of her matches as one would revisit a favourite piece of music. Watching her was never about the scoreline alone. It was about the gasp-inducing deception, the effortless leaps, the rallies that left audiences spellbound.
For a player like Tzu Ying, a farewell match or tour would have seemed well-deserved. However, her farewell post ended with just a heartfelt thank you, and a hope for the spirit of TTY to always live on. “I’m going to enjoy a life without alarm clocks,” she wrote. Badminton, and those who loved watching her play, will take a little longer to wake from the spell she cast. In every sense, she remains badminton’s prima ballerina, its magician, its Picasso.
