Ratchanok Says Japan Games Will Be Her Last Before Retirement
Thailand's badminton star Ratchanok Intanon says the upcoming Asian Games will be her last tournament before retirement, as she targets 700 professional wins after recently becoming the first women's singles player to reach 600.
Ratchanok Intanon, Thailand's beloved women's singles badminton champion, has announced that the upcoming Asian Games will be her last before focusing on her career and celebrating her record-breaking 600 professional match wins, with a goal of reaching 700.
Ratchanok said she sustained an injury during the world championship two weeks ago but has been recovering and building her fitness to prepare for the Asian Games team. Her condition has improved significantly and the injury is no longer an issue, leaving only fitness conditioning work for the remaining time. Mentally, she is in good shape and is working to regain her confidence.
"This will be my third Asian Games," she said. "I couldn't compete at the last one in China due to injury, so I'm happy to be back as part of the team with my teammates. For the next Asian Games in four years, I probably won't be competing. This should be my last Asian Games."
Ratchanok recently made history as the first women's singles badminton player in world history to achieve 600 professional match wins. She expressed surprise at the milestone since she hadn't focused specifically on it, but said the achievement gives her motivation to push toward 700 wins in the future.
