Feature: Zhu Yuling's remarkable journey back to table tennis pinnacle
Zhu Yuling's inspiring journey from injury and retirement to returning as a top table tennis player exemplifies resilience, love for the sport, and the pursuit of personal growth.
by sportswriters Cao Jianjie, Su Bin and Yue Ranran
BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- From the operating table to the pingpong table and back to the podium, Zhu Yuling has lived one of sport's most extraordinary journeys.
One year after her return to competition, she is at peace. "As my world grew bigger, I look at table tennis differently," she said.
At the 2025 World Table Tennis (WTT) China Smash that ended Sunday, Zhu, now representing Macao, China, fell in six games to China's Chen Xingtong in the women's singles quarterfinal.
"I burned out in that match," she reflected. "It was the best game I've played since I came out of retirement. The greatest respect you can give your opponent is to go all out and fight."
Earlier in her maiden campaign at Beijing's Shougang Park, Zhu had beaten Chinese players Zhu Ziyu and Chen Yi, as well as Brazil's Bruna Takahashi.
The 20-18 scoreline in the second game against Takahashi became a hot topic after the match.
"At 4-9 down, I told myself: Don't quit - just take it as a lost game," she said.
"I hadn't played a score like that in many years," she laughed. "Not many things can make my heart race, but this one did."
However, as people admired her will, Zhu took a different perspective. "If the scoreline reached 20-18, how many mistakes had I made?"
Zhu started table tennis at age 5, won multiple world titles with China and reached the world No. 1 ranking in 2017, with her sights set on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
But things soon went downhill. In August 2020, she was diagnosed with fibroadenoma, a noncancerous breast tumor. Struggling to keep up in competition, she felt adrift.
She underwent major surgery in September 2021, watching her Olympic dream extinguish as she faded from the national team and public attention.
Zhu refused to play the "tragic heroine," saying, "It wasn't cancer, otherwise how could I be back?"
"Losing a match hurts, but lying on an operating table you only pray to see tomorrow. Life is the crucial '1', while everything else is the '0'."
Recovery opened a new chapter. She enrolled in a Ph.D. program in economics and management at Chengdu's University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
On her way back, she received huge encouragement. Her supervisor told her, "You might be a doctoral student delayed by table tennis."
When she took a teaching post at Tianjin University's sports faculty in 2023, her students said, "If you return, we want to see your charisma shine on the court."
Then she decided to return.
"As a pro, I never made it to the Olympics - that stings me. But strip away the 'pro' title, I have no regrets."
Three years after retirement, Zhu returned with three roles - university lecturer, Ph.D. student and professional athlete - switching among them with full commitment.
"After seeing what lies beyond the table, the ball is no longer my whole world," she said.
She acquired residency in China's Macao Special Administrative Region in February 2024 through a talent scheme and began representing the region internationally.
On Sept. 9, 2024, Zhu re-entered the sport at the WTT Champions Macao with zero ranking points. She now ranks sixth worldwide with 3,940 points, highlighted by her success at this year's United States Smash after upsetting several higher-ranked players including second seed Wang Manyu.
"After I retired, I never even picked up a paddle, let alone dreamed of getting back to this level," she recalled.
"Everything that can explain my comeback and persistence comes down to love."
"Life keeps throwing obstacles at you. You need to stay upward, not lie flat," she said, smiling. "Go all out at what you love, and become who you want to be. Maybe the meaning of life is not never falling, but rising every time you fall."
编辑：胡烨晨
审核：刘毅 甘晶莹
监制：郑颖
