Zhang Nan, the men's doubles all-around champion, retires amid widespread discussion—his standout stats speak for themselves.

•3 min read
Zhang Nan, the men's doubles all-around champion, retires amid widespread discussion—his standout stats speak for themselves.
During the 2023 Sudirman Cup, the Chinese national badminton team held retirement ceremonies for several former national players, including doubles star Zhang Nan. As the first player in Chinese badminton history to win Olympic and World Championship titles in both men’s doubles and mixed doubles, Zhang Nan’s farewell marks his departure from the national team lineup—but he plans to keep training diligently, even considering competing professionally again. In fact, he hasn’t truly retired from the sport, as he remains deeply committed to staying active in badminton. Just as Zhang Nan stepped down from the national team, renowned international badminton commentator Clark compiled a series of impressive statistics about him, praising Zhang Nan as one of the greatest all-around men’s doubles players in history.
Image source: Suzhou Sudirman Cup Organizing Committee
Zhang Nan, born in 1990, joined the Chinese national badminton team after the Beijing Olympics and quickly began making waves on the world stage. In 2010, he teamed up with Zhao Yunlei to form a dominant mixed-doubles partnership, setting legendary records in the discipline. Meanwhile, in men’s doubles, Zhang Nan has partnered with several prominent players, including Chai Biao, Fu Haifeng, Liu Cheng, and Tan Qiang—most notably, he and each of these partners went on to clinch titles at major international tournaments.
Zhang Nan's most memorable moments came at the London and Rio Olympics, where he won a mixed doubles gold medal alongside Zhao Yunlei at London and a mixed doubles bronze at Rio. Partnering with Fu Haifeng, he also claimed the men's doubles gold at Rio, making history as the first male athlete to secure two medals in the same Olympic Games. Additionally, he became only the second player ever to win both men's doubles and mixed doubles gold medals at the Olympics.
At the World Championships, Zhang Nan has claimed four titles in total: two mixed doubles crowns in 2011, 2014, and 2015, as well as a men’s doubles title in 2017. Additionally, he finished third three times across various events. Overall, Zhang has accumulated seven World Championship medals—each earned while partnering with three different teammates. Most remarkably, he secured an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games alongside Fu Haifeng, only to go on and win another World Championship men’s doubles title just one year later, this time teaming up with Liu Cheng.
Image source: Suzhou Sudirman Cup Organizing Committee
In other competitions, Zhang Nan also claimed the mixed doubles title at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the 2010 Gwangju Asian Games. On the prestigious All England stage, Zhang Nan reached the finals five times—four in mixed doubles and once in men’s doubles—ultimately securing two mixed doubles titles. Throughout his career, Zhang Nan advanced to a total of 74 World Championship finals, clinching victory in 51 of them. Additionally, he made it to 47 finals across the BWF Super Series and Tour events, emerging victorious in 31 of those matches. Notably, partnering with Zhao Yunlei in mixed doubles, Zhang Nan triumphed in 36 out of their 46 final appearances together.
Zhang Nan's talent and ability in doubles are absolutely beyond question—indeed, he’s a versatile player who has consistently paired with others to achieve outstanding results. As a result, in Clark’s view, Zhang Nan can easily be regarded as one of the greatest all-around men’s doubles players in history.



Share this article

Related Articles