Zhu's eye-catching comeback is a lesson in courage and resilience

At 30, Zhu Yuling owns many titles — university lecturer, doctoral candidate — and professional table tennis player. In Beijing earlier this month, she added another milestone: her first appearance at the WTT China Smash 2025.

For fans who have followed her since her teenage years, Zhu's return to the international stage feels both familiar, yet surprising. Once the world No 1 in women's singles, recent years saw her quietly fade from the spotlight. Yet, in just one year, she has climbed back from zero ranking points to reach the world's No 6 spot — a comeback that speaks as much to her resilience as to her renewed joy for the game.

During the tournament, Zhu's matches became must-see events, drawing crowds of reporters and fans who cheered her every point. Whether pushing world-class rivals to the brink, or fighting back from impossible deficits, Zhu played with a freedom and happiness that reminded everyone why they fell in love with her game in the first place.

"I burned out — I used up every bit of energy I had," she said after a fierce quarterfinal battle against Chen Xingtong, which she lost 2-4, but finished with a smile. For Zhu, the result no longer defines her. The joy of playing — of feeling her heart race again — is victory enough.

Zhu's connection with table tennis stretches back 25 years. She picked up her first paddle at the age of five, joined the provincial team at 12, entered the national second team at 14, and in 2010 became the youngest women's singles winner at 15 in the history of the World Junior Championships.

Seven years later, she captured her first Women's World Cup title and rose to world No 1 that November — the pinnacle of a career she once thought would lead naturally to the Tokyo Olympics and, perhaps by 2025, a graceful retirement.

But life had other plans. In 2019, while training intensively for the Olympics, Zhu was diagnosed with fibroadenoma, a benign thyroid tumor. Forced to withdraw from competition, she missed the Games and, more painfully, had to step away from the sport that had defined her since childhood.

She still remembers being wheeled into the operating room, whispering to herself: "I can give up all the championships I've ever won — just give me back a healthy body."

Later, reflecting on that moment, she said, "No matter how hard a match is, the worst is losing or falling short of expectations. But when you're lying on the operating table, just hoping to live through the day — that's a completely different feeling. In front of the'1' that is life, everything else is just a '0.'"

After her sudden farewell to table tennis, Zhu began rebuilding her life. In 2022, she enrolled in a PhD program in economics and management at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu, Sichuan province, eager to test her abilities in a different field. Through hard work, she became the only student in her class to defend her thesis in English.

In 2023, she joined Tianjin University as an associate professor and table tennis coach. Surrounded by students, Zhu rediscovered the spark that had once driven her. "My students told me: 'If our teacher ever returns to the arena, what we most want to see is your character shining on the court,'" she recalled.

That encouragement — along with her own unquenchable love for the game — eventually brought Zhu back to the international stage. And this time, she plays not for medals or rankings, but for the simple, powerful joy that started it all.

A fresh start

In February 2024, Zhu acquired residency in China's Macao Special Administrative Region through a talent admission program and began representing Macao in international competitions.

"Many people asked me why I went to Macao," she said. "My answer is simple — if I win a championship representing Macao, they'll still play the national anthem of the People's Republic of China. I'm still fighting for my country."

Her comeback began at the WTT Champions Macao in September 2024. After a strong opening match, she faced Team China second seed Wang Manyu — and lost.

But instead of disappointment, the defeat brought clarity. "I couldn't even see the ball clearly when Manyu hit it," she admitted with a laugh. "At that point, I figured I was maybe around top-50 in the world."

From that humble recalibration, Zhu began to "gather her strength slowly". It paid off — just months later, she won the WTT United States Smash, a victory rich with symbolism and sweat.

On Sept 9, 2024, exactly three years after her forced retirement, she returned to the circuit with zero ranking points. A year later, she had amassed 3,940 of them, climbed to world No 6, and claimed a major international title — defeating several higher-ranked players, including Wang Manyu herself.

"Today is a perfect dream," she posted on social media after that triumph. "It's a dream of bravery, wisdom, and resilience. The meaning of life is to keep moving forward courageously, even after walking alone through joy and sorrow."

Looking back, Zhu summed up her comeback year with three words: "surprise, courage, and passion".

Zhu laughed when reflecting on how far she's come. "After I retired, I never picked up a paddle — I never thought I could get back to this level again. Old friends who see me now say I look in great form, and I just tell them, it's because I trained too hard back then."

Zhu's rebirth was not without its trials. Her comeback year was also marked by controversy and cyberbullying that tested her in new ways. In July, online rumors falsely accused her of "owing money", thrusting her into a storm of online vitriol.

"I'm not someone who likes direct confrontation," she said. "But this incident left me with psychological scars. It drained me emotionally and hit the most fragile part of my heart."

Zhu had to seek help from a psychologist. "The doctor told me it's normal — people have emotions, and it's a natural response," she said. "So I chose to speak out on social media. I believe the law will clear my name and deliver justice."

It was another lesson in courage — one that extended beyond the table.

"As a professional athlete, not being able to compete in the Olympics is my greatest regret," Zhu reflected. "But if you take away that title — as just Zhu Yuling the person — I have no regrets in life."

Zhu now moves fluidly between her different roles, each revealing a different facet of who she is. "I give my all to every identity," she said. "After seeing the world beyond table tennis, I realized the sport is no longer my only world. As my horizons expanded, table tennis became just one part of a much bigger life."

Contact the writer at liyingxue@chinadaily.com.cn