Health key for ex-world No. 1 Zhu in comeback

Just a decade ago, Zhu Yuling was flying high in her table tennis career.

- David Lee

The two-time world junior champion had risen rapidly through the ranks of the Chinese women's team, winning gold medals at the 2014 Asian Games and 2014, 2016, and 2018 World Championships.

In 2017, she became the world No. 1 amid fierce competition from teammates Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen, winning the Asian Cup singles title from 2017 to 2019.

She looked destined to rule the sport, but her burgeoning career suddenly veered off course.

After winning the 2019 T2 Diamond Malaysia title, her form started to slip and she missed out on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She hung up her bat that year after undergoing surgery to remove a benign tumour.

"Competing for one's country at the Olympics is one of the peaks of any athlete's career, so of course not being able to do that is one of my regrets. But it's also something I've learnt to accept," said Zhu, who was a reserve at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

But the 30-year-old is now back on court in a new jersey - Macau's - and competing in the ongoing Singapore Smash at the OCBC Arena.