My aim is to win as many tournaments as I play in but some people absolutely love snooker.
I won two ITF tournaments in Japan in two weeks. I had to qualify for both of them, which meant that I won 16 matches in 15 days.
I did all the right things in so many tournaments. But like I said, sometimes in sports it just goes the other way. Maybe you’ve already won so much that it evens it out a bit sometimes. I don’t know.
I’ve always enjoyed playing in Switzerland. The crowd support is amazing here, and Basel is one of the best indoor tournaments in the world.
Since retiring from competitive chess, my focus is on education and organising children’s tournaments: I make a point of never separating girls and boys, nor awarding special prizes for girls.
Women’s golf definitely hit a bump in the road. We lost some tournaments due to a combination of things led by the downturn in the economy.
As I started developing, as I started playing more tournaments and getting higher in the rankings, I saw I had massive potential.
My parents did everything possible. My dad has worked from eight in the morning until nine in the evening to make it possible so I can play tennis. We had to cancel tournaments because we couldn’t afford to go there.
I didn’t learn how to swing a golf club until late in my career. And even though I won all those tournaments, I still struggled with consistency, and I relied on my strengths, which were hitting the ball long and high, and I could chip and putt with the best of ’em.
I didn’t play juniors, really. I only played Roland Garros juniors and maybe some European tournaments.
With more Asian players on the tennis circuit, there’s more awareness about tennis and knowledge about various tennis tournaments.
I remember winning the first time, you know, suddenly everybody expects, well, okay, now he should win every time he tees it up, win six tournaments.
When I was 19 and 20, and 20 or 25 in the world , I was enjoying it. But now it’s a rollercoaster and I just can’t seem to find the commitment to work hard, to enjoy and to lift trophies. Maybe I have to look at a few things and maybe play less tournaments.
You see it from my area, from any area, really, so many who want to be great and have the drive, but don’t have the resources. I’m very blessed that I have a family that was financially stable enough to get me to tournaments and camps and to practices so I could wrestle year-round.
I don’t come to tournaments to make friends, to go to parties, to hold conversations. I come to be the best, and I’m not mean and cruel and dirty.
The want to improve myself and win tournaments and see how far I go is crucial.
If you see cricket, the IPL is going on and then there is the World Cup. If cricketers can play two tournaments back-to-back, then why can’t players from other sports?
In the knockout tournaments, it’s futile to prepare for a grand finale. You may have worked out many strategies for the final. But you may lose in the first round itself.
I have many golfer friends whom I play with, including my good friend Ian Poulter, a professional golfer who’s coming to Asia to play in a few tournaments.
On the weekends, I do the usual parental things, going to the boys’ football tournaments or getting out for a hike along the Great Wall.
