Ex-table tennis world No 1 Zhu Yuling beat illness, started PhD, now she’s ready to play again
The Chinese star, who was diagnosed in 2020, says sport is now just a hobby, alongside her life as professor, student and businesswoman
Former table tennis world No 1 Zhu Yuling said she was happy just to be playing again after beating some immune system issues, and considers the sport she once dominated to now be a hobby.
The Chinese star, who rose to the top of the women’s game in 2017 and 2018, returned to the international arena for the first time in 4½ years last week, representing Macau at the WTT Champions event the casino city was hosting.
While the 29-year-old reached the round of 16 before losing to former teammate and now world No 3 Wang Manyu, she said life away from the table, as professor, student and businesswoman, was her main focus.
“I was all about playing table tennis before; it was a career but now it’s only a hobby,” she said. “It was the only thing in my word previously and everything else needed to make way for it, but not any more now.
“There’s a timeline for a professional athlete career, but a hobby can be a lifelong thing, so that was the change for me. Life is always like a balance, you’d be rewarded [elsewhere] if you lost something [here], and there were always ups and downs in life, so it was OK.”
Zhu’s conqueror in Macau last week was also her partner when they won the doubles title at the Qatar Open in March 2020. It was Zhu’s last professional appearance.
