TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) said Wednesday (Dec. 4) she will have an operation on the knee injury that has plagued her over the past couple of years.

The badminton star is one of the nation’s most decorated athletes. She was the world’s number one player for 214 weeks, and won multiple championships and silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

She competed at the Olympics in Paris this year but was clearly troubled by her knees and was unable to make the final, going out in the group stages.

She said she would have surgery on her left knee first before deciding whether to have an operation on the right knee too. She told CNA that she had decided on this course of action for her future wellbeing.

Tai said, "I hope to cure the knee problem for the sake of my future life, but I have to rest for at least a few months after the surgery."

“I'm just worried about whether I will get fat when I can not exercise after surgery," she added.

Previously, she has said that she was thinking of retiring from the game. However, some commentators have said surgery could prolong her career if she recovers fully.