India Open Super 750: The artistry of Tai Tzu Ying, badminton’s Sorcerer Supreme

There couldn’t have been a better image to capture the potential passing of the baton. “I changed (the bandana) once, thinking that it is precious to me. As a young player, I think she is a legend, and I respect her a lot. So it is a pleasure to play the game,” Se Young told the Indian Express during the India Open in Delhi.

.#YonexSunriseIndiaOpen2024 WS champion Tai Tzu Ying thanks all the fans 🥰 pic.twitter.com/bO6rFueCCF

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) January 21, 2024

On Sunday, Tzu Ying – back to play at the India Open after 8 years – delighted the fans at the IG Indoor Stadium as she capped off a fantastic week with her first title in India. It was a continuation of her fine form at the end of 2023 – where she clinched the World Tour Finals title defeating Se Young and Carolina Marin – and the start of 2024 where she reached the Malaysia Open final.

Crowd-puller

Over the week, she didn’t just win all her matches without dropping a game, but produced the kind of badminton that has made her a global favourite. No one quite produces gasps of ooohs and aaahs from the stands as frequently as the former world No 1 (for 214 weeks) does.

“She plays effortless badminton. She doesn’t get injured often because her game is not very physical. She’s very deceptive, she’s different from other players, her shot-making makes her a crowd-puller. It is her strokes that make her truly special,” former India national coach Vimal Kumar tells the Indian Express.

Congratulations Tai Tzu Ying 😍🔥

Well done Chen Yu Fei 👏#YonexSunriseIndiaOpen2024 #IndiaKaSmashMania#BWFWorldTourSuper750#IndiaontheRise#Badminton pic.twitter.com/1aF3MdVvix

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) January 21, 2024

That she is a crowd-puller was evident in Delhi. Himanshu Nagar, an 18-year-old Hotel Management student from Rajasthan, had come to the capital just to see his favourite, and was there for all her matches, even the ones that started early in the morning in the winter chill. “I have been following the sport for 4-5 years and the only reason is TTY. I am feeling so happy, the reason for my travel is complete. I managed to get a selfie with her, mera maqsad hi poora ho gay hai, baaki kuch nahi chahiye. (My wish of watching her is fulfilled).”

On Sunday, Gunjan Rai from Bhopal travelled 15 hours by train to catch her favourite in action. “I missed the semifinals because the train got delayed but was so happy when she won that because it meant I had a chance to watch her today,” Rai said, holding her poster that read: “Travelled 800km to watch Dr TTY play, the queen and the magician.”

As the match began, another young fan held up a poster: “TTY, best ever.” And commentator Gill Clark said, “I wouldn’t argue with you, sir!”

Crowd’s favourite Tai Tzu Ying lifts the WS title🥳👏#YonexSunriseIndiaOpen2024 #IndiaKaSmashMania#BWFWorldTourSuper750#IndiaontheRise#Badminton pic.twitter.com/U8WBjkAgVP

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) January 21, 2024

The support she got from fans wasn’t lost on Tzu Ying either. She took her time to thank her supporters after defeating Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei 21-16, 21-12, in what was their 27th meeting. “I was feeling a bit nervous, but while I was playing, I got a lot of support from the audience, which made me play well in today’s match,” the Tokyo silver medallist told the media.

The art of deception

A search for “Tai Tzu Ying skills” on YouTube is sure to keep a badminton fan hooked for hours. One of those videos from a couple of years back has 50 different shot varieties of Tzu Ying, with names assigned to each of them. It has more than 1.7 million views. While sometimes it is difficult to make out the exact nature of her genius while watching a live match, this video breaks down these shots with slow-motion replays. Clark considered the voice of badminton, describes one of those as a backhand reverse slice straight drop with full pirouette – it’s as complicated a shot as it sounds, and as the greatest of athletes do, Tzu Ying makes it look easy.

Tai Tzu Ying and Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei grace the court.#BWFWorldTour #IndiaOpen2024 pic.twitter.com/NGSPlkjBkf

— BWF (@bwfmedia) January 21, 2024

The other thing to observe is her opponents’ movement when Tzu Ying plays the hold-and-flick. It’s one of her more frequently used deceptions and the deceit lies in how late she changes the direction of her shot with marvelous use of the racket head. The first time you see the brilliance of the shot, in the replay you see how the player on the other side of the net starts to go one way, then realises too late that they are heading in the opposite direction, and gets stuck in between.

“Some of the things she does, a camera cannot capture” explains Vimal. “Like at the last moment, how she changes her shot. At the net, her hand-speed is just unbelievable. And these all come very naturally for her. Most others on tour are very physical, they can run and retrieve, and it’s all about pace. To a certain extent, all this is still helping her. It allows her to control the pace of rallies. She can make a player dance to her tunes.”

Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min, came prepared for the dance, but her efforts only resembled hapless scurrying around the court. Jia Min, who had a fine India Open herself, said before her semifinal battle against Tzu Ying, “She is such a skillful player. I have to run around a lot on the court. She is unpredictable with her shots. I need to be ready to cover all corners of the court and cut down on errors.”

Tai Tzu Ying fans Himanshu and Gunjan, who travelled to watch her play in Delhi (Photo: Vinayakk / Express)

In Delhi, Tzu Ying reiterated that she intends to stop playing this year given how much her body has gone through over 15 years and counting. She has missed out on a World Championships gold, she is yet to win the Olympic Games title. Perhaps Paris is her last chance to seal her spot as one of the greatest shuttlers of all time, but even without that, her legacy will be defined by her genius.

She made better players out of Se Young, Yufei and Yamaguchi in getting them to raise their levels to just trying to counter her game. And elevated women’s singles to an artform, by bringing in silken artistry. She winked away at the physicality – speed and brute strength and stamina of opponents in summoning court magic.

Whenever she does stop playing, she’ll leave badminton richer for the magic she produced on the court. Dr. Tai Tzu Ying, the badminton world’s Sorcerer Supreme.