Ni Xialian in action during women's singles second round against Shan Xiaona of Germany at the 2023 ITTF Table Tennis World Championships Finals in Durban, South Africa, May 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Tao Xiyi)
59-year-old Ni Xialian is defying her advancing years to keep performing on table tennis' highest stage.
DURBAN, South Africa, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Age is just a number. The saying cannot be better reflected than the story of 59-year-old Ni Xialian of Luxembourg.
Now in her 24th World Table Tennis Championships appearance, the former world champion has never quit in her quest for excellence on the biggest stage.
Ni endured a heartbreaking loss at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Finals here on Monday, as she came back from 0-3 down to force a decider before losing to Shan Xiaona of Germany, 19 years her junior.
"She deserves the win today, but I still feel a little bit pity as I didn't grasp some opportunities, which was annoying," Ni confessed.
Born in Shanghai in 1963, Ni helped China lift the women's team and mixed doubles titles at the World Championships in 1983. After she retired from China's team in late 1980s, she moved to Europe and settled down in Luxembourg.
She won three European Championship titles between 1998 and 2002, but what has made her truly stand out are her performances in recent years, well beyond the age of 50.
At the previous World Championships in Houston in 2021, she paired with Sarah de Nutte to pocket a women's doubles bronze. The legendary paddler continued to surprise many people by overcoming Jeon Ji-hee and Lee Zi-on in Luxembourg's 3-1 victory over South Korea in the group stage of last year's World Team Table Tennis Championships in southwest China's Chengdu.
Admittedly, age has left a mark on Ni, especially on her fitness, and this is exacerbated when she played in both singles and doubles events on the same day.
"I was not aware that I had two matches today. I trained for one hour yesterday. If I had known it [two matches in a single day], I would not have trained that long," she rued.
"I'm a player with an attacking style. If I don't have enough fitness, how can I compete? Just through defense or luck?
"That was why I had some unforced errors today. I was out of my own style of play," she explained.
But as long as she stepped on the court, Ni maintained her tenacity, trying to fight for every point regardless of her age.
Ni said that she will give 120 percent to play. "I have high expectations towards myself. Sometimes 100 percent is not enough for me."
Ni, who will turn 60 this July, had quit mixed doubles in 2021, but due to a sense of responsibility, she decided to give it another shot. The veteran is competing in three categories in Durban.
Discussing her comeback against Shan, Ni said, "I didn't want to lose it without a fight."
But at the same time, Ni, who still holds her paddle in a penhold style, joked that she "belongs to the museum."
"I approached my game with a mindset of five decades ago, when penholders prevailed. I could win some points at that time, but not now," she explained.
Husband and coach Tommy Danielsson has played a pivotal role in Ni's long table tennis career.
"He always supports and encourages me. I think marrying him is the luckiest thing in my life," said Ni.
"I'm an athlete. But leaving the court, I'm a mother, a wife, a sister, with social and life responsibilities on my shoulder," she added.
At Ni's age, enjoying life may be of greater importance.
Seeing flowers and plants when she competed at the Chengdu team worlds last year, she was inspired to decorate her back garden at home in Luxembourg.
"Some flower seeds that I brought from Shanghai have blossomed," she grinned. "Life is beautiful. Table tennis is just a part of it."
Having opened accounts on Chinese social media platforms, Ni hopes to become a "window" for more Chinese people to learn about Europe.
"After seeing what I've posted on social platforms, people think I'm always a happy and lucky person because I don't want to spread my anguish to them," she explained.
Ni plans to stay in Durban until May 27. "I soon got into the competition after I arrived here. Now I can have some spare time and chat with friends," she said with relief.
"You see, I'm feeling better now. Let bygones be bygones. Tomorrow is another day."
As for calling time on her legendary career, Ni replied, "I never thought about it." ■
