PETALING JAYA: Chinese shuttler Zheng Siwei has decided to hang up his racquet after the World Tour Finals from Dec 11-15 in Hangzhou.
Siwei has not played since capturing gold in the mixed doubles with Huang Yaqiong in the Paris Olympics in August and will make one last competitive appearance in front of their adoring home fans.
The 27-year-old said that his decision to retire was taken a long time ago as he wants to spend more time with his family after enjoying an illustrious career with Yaqiong.
Siwei and the 30-year-old Yaqiong, who are currently ranked No. 3 in the world, have won all the big titles in badminton including the World Championships three times in 2018, 2019 and 2022, gold in the Asian Games twice in 2018 and 2023.
“I’ve officially decided to step down from the international stage,” said Siwei via social media.
“My fans might find this news sudden and somewhat unreasonable after we just won the Olympic gold and are still one of the top ranked pairs but this is part of my life plan.
“Regardless of whether I achieved my dream at the Paris Games, I would still have made the same decision.
“The most important reason for this decision is my ultimate goal which is to balancing my career and my family.
“I started my family early and recently welcomed our second child. I want to focus on my family now,” added Siwei.
Looking back on his journey with Yaqiong, Siwei said: “Throughout the journey, we constantly challenged ourselves and broke records.
“We endured lows and faced doubts but we never stopped! In the end, we achieved the Grand Slam!
“Of course, during my 11 years in the national team, I’ve been blessed with incredible mentors, supporters, staff and teammates.
“These moments and kindness I have received are moments I will never forget.”
Siwei is out to end his career as a player on a high note in the Tour Finals.
Siwei-Yaqiong qualified for the Finals by virtue of their gold medal victory in Paris.
The pair will be joined by teammates Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin, Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, Taiwan’s Yang Po-hsuan-Hu Liang-fang, Indonesia’s Dejan Ferdinansyah-Gloria Emanuelle, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet and South Korea’s Kim Won-ho-Jeong Na-eun.
“The final competition for me and Yaqiong will be in the Hangzhou Finals,” said Siwei.
“Hangzhou is where my professional journey began, so it feels right for my final performance to be there.”
Siwei has won the Finals three times in 2019, 2022 and 2023 with Yaqiong and twice in 2016 and 2017 with previous partner Chen Qingchen.
