Facing质疑 after losing the match, Chen Yufei silenced online backlash with her sheer strength, while Lin Dan delivered a sharply insightful comment...

On May 21, the final of the Sudirman Cup Badminton Mixed Team Championships concluded, with China sweeping past South Korea 3-0 to clinch the title and secure their third consecutive Sudirman Cup victory. Yet, perhaps even more thrilled than anyone else was China’s top women’s player, Chen Yufei, who powerfully silenced her critics with a stellar performance.

In the semifinal, Chen Yufei faced Japan's Akane Yamaguchi. Based on Akane Yamaguchi's impressive performance during the group stage, many expected Chen Yufei to secure an easy victory. However, Chen Yufei surprisingly lost 0-2 to her Japanese opponent, drawing immediate "criticism" and "questioning" from online fans. The controversy has since escalated, with numerous harsh and unflattering comments surfacing online.

After dropping points in the semifinals and facing online backlash, Chen Yufei stepped back onto the court under immense pressure. In the final, she delivered a crisp, decisive victory—and promptly took to social media to counter the doubts and criticisms leveled against her.

Chen Yufei gently rubs her hands on the podium to ease the discomfort.

Chinese badminton player Jia Yifan revealed on Chen Yufei's social media that Chen Yufei has been menstruating during the past three days of competition—ranging from her matches against Denmark to her showdown with Japan, and finally her decisive battle against South Korea.

Lin Dan once said in an interview, "As long as I'm on the court, as long as I have a single breath left, and as long as I'm wearing China's national team jersey, the Chinese badminton team will never give up." And today, Chen Yufei is no different. After all, badminton is a competitive sport—every match brings both wins and losses! Even Super Dan at the peak of his career couldn't maintain that level of dominance forever.

Last year, when Chen Yufei surprisingly lost her match, commentator Lin Dan remarked: "When it's over, it's over—there's no need to burden yourself with the pressure of winning, and certainly no need to carry the weight of failure either, because both victory and defeat are perfectly normal in this sport." Lin Dan’s words undoubtedly echoed the struggles many professional athletes face, as the competitive arena can be brutally unforgiving. Often, even when players give their all, they may still fall short of achieving the results they’ve worked so hard for.

“You can criticize me—call me inferior, say I’ve regressed across the board, accuse me of being mediocre and unremarkable—but please don’t claim I lack determination, fighting spirit, or the drive to give it my all.” — Chen Yufei