Taiwanese tennis player Chan Yung-jan (詹詠然) yesterday apologized for quitting the mixed doubles semi-final at the Taipei Summer Universiade for health reasons, saying that the decision was made by a doctor who evaluated her before the match.
Chan posted the apology on Facebook after she and Swiss player Martina Hingis won the Grand Slam at the US Open on Sunday.
Although Chan and her sister helped the national tennis team win a gold medal in women’s doubles at the Universiade, she pulled out of her mixed doubles semi-final match with partner Hsieh Cheng-peng (謝政鵬).
Chan appeared to be struggling in the women’s final, which was played on the same day as the mixed doubles match.
Chan and Hsieh still secured the bronze medal in mixed doubles, and the day after Chan flew to New York for the US Open.
Some people accused her of pretending to be ill so she could leave early for the tournament after videos of her practicing on the US Open court before the tournament were posted online.
The criticism intensified as people compared her with the other Taiwanese players, who competed despite experiencing pain or only quit after sustaining injuries.
Chan yesterday said that she did not offer any explanation previously because she needed to concentrate on the US Open.
“The Summer Universiade happened in Taipei this year and the US Open was held immediately afterward. I wanted to compete both for my country and in the US Open. My partner, Hingis, had requested that the first round of the US Open women’s doubles start after Aug. 31. The Universiade tennis director also promised to send an official letter to the US Open to explain the situation if Hsieh and I entered the finals,” she wrote.
“However, physical discomfort was something I did not expect. The decision to quit the match was made by a doctor after evaluating my physical condition,” she added. “I am responsible for causing all the misunderstandings and trouble. I especially wanted to apologize to my partner, Hsieh, for not being able to fight with him until the end.”
Chan also apologized to her fans for letting them down, as they were hoping that she would help Taiwan secure golds in the women’s doubles, mixed doubles and women’s singles events.
Chan’s statement was met with disdain and doubt from Hsieh.
“I did not read her statement. She really does not need to apologize to me. She only needs to explain what happened to the fans,” he said, adding that everything would be clarified if she posted proof of her medical condition online, like he did during the Universiade.
Netizens had varied responses to Chan’s apology.
“She chose to ‘marry a rich man’ and gave up on a poor bastard who was struggling to succeed. All you can say is that people have different values, and we have to respect people’s choices and give them our blessings,” Lin Da-chun (林大鈞), bassist of rock band The Chairman, said on Facebook.
“Some people might get hurt during the process, but isn’t it good that she got what she wanted? In the end, we are still a family,” he said. “To be honest, I think what she did was a bit selfish, but the world is filled with people looking out for themselves.”
Nevertheless, people should still thank Chan for making Taiwanese history in the US Open, he added.
Others disagreed with Lin’s characterization.
“It would be acceptable if she chose to give up on a poor bastard and marry a rich man instead, but she had already committed to marry the poor bastard and jilted him on their wedding day. She then wasted no time in marrying the rich man. That is why people were upset,” a netizen said.
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