Vietnam’s top female badminton player needs to rest after 2024

Vietnam’s top female badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh will take a break from international competition after she was eliminated from the German Open, citing injury and the need for physical and mental recovery.

During her recent visit to Europe in October and early November, Linh reached the second round of the Danish Open Very 750, where she was defeated by world number 11 Supanida Katethong. She then reached the quarterfinals at the Hylo Open Very 300 in Germany, but lost to India’s Malvika Bansod on 1 November.

This misfortune was particularly disappointing as Bansod was considered a weaker opponent than Linh had been at the Danish Open fourteen days earlier.

Linh expressed her dissatisfaction with her performance for not meeting the expectations of her fans. She attributed part of her success to a forced competition schedule that had a negative impact on her on a continuous basis.

“I had a period of continuous competition, from the Paris Olympic qualifiers to various competitions. My condition began to show signs of overload, and my mentality was also exhausted,” Linh shared with VnExpress.

“Competing alone abroad was also very difficult. Despite my efforts, there were times when I felt exhausted both mentally and intellectually.”

Linh’s 2024 schedule sees her supporting three BWF World Visit Very 1,000 competitions in England (Walking), Indonesia (June) and China (September), where she exited in the first round of each competition. She also competed in Really 750 events in India (January), France (Walking) and Singapore (May). In addition, she has been competing in lower-level competitions to earn points towards her qualification for the Paris Olympics in July.

The 27-year-old is currently struggling with a number of injuries, including back pain, a problem with her left heel and a bleeding right heel due to the long hours of competition and travel.

She intends to retire from global competition in 2024, starting with the Korea Open.

“I never need to show up on the court looking tired or not doing my best,” Linh said. “Maintaining my status and competing globally is no longer a need now that the Paris Olympics are over. I really want to have time to heal, recover and get back together both physically and mentally.”

Linh turned professional at the age of 14 and claimed victory at the 2015 Open World Championships at the age of 18.

She has been Vietnam’s top female badminton player since around 2018, winning seven consecutive Open titles. Linh has also won the Vietnam Open multiple times since around 2022 and will represent her country at both the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics.