As a tennis fan who also plays the sport, this year’s Wimbledon gave me an unforgettable championship night. While the world focused on the rise of the new king of men’s tennis and a changing of the guard from the “Big Three,” Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei’s (謝淑薇) unprecedented success in the women’s doubles failed to attract the attention it deserves. That is perhaps the destiny of her tennis family.
Hsieh has won six Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, including back-to-back titles at the French Open and Wimbledon this year since her comeback at the age of 36. This is not only a milestone for Taiwanese tennis, it is in itself a remarkable personal achievement.
Although people congratulated Hsieh for her world-class achievement, many focused on disputes between the Hsieh family and the family of Taiwanese player Latisha Chan (詹詠然).
I feel sorry for Hsieh’s situation. Although she concentrates on women’s doubles rather than singles, she would have become famous and more successful had she secured more commercial sponsorships in other countries where the sport is well developed. One might wonder why the world-class athlete does not have any commercial support from Taiwanese companies.
When Hsieh first started her rise in tennis 20 years ago, I happened to be doing field research in the sport. At that time, I witnessed the strict training of her father, Hsieh Tzu-lung (謝子龍), which helped her to gradually make a name for herself in international tennis.
Meanwhile, Chan moved from Taichung to Taipei to join coach Chen Nan (陳南), which laid the foundation for her to go international. Originally, the country’s best two players could have gone international together for greater success. In the end, they have gone their separate ways, and disputes between the tennis families often appear in the media.
When Hsieh Su-wei won Wimbledon again, Taiwan should have celebrated her victory. Instead, Taiwanese entered another debate over past entanglements, forgetting that such a wonderful championship night belonged not only to her family, but also to Taiwanese tennis. What a pity.
After Taiwan hosted the 2017 Summer Universiade, which was renamed the World University Games in 2020, public attention on some local athletes finally earned them sponsorship deals. With the push of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, commercial sponsorships of top athletes paid more than the prize money or government subsidies, as Taiwan turned into a developed sports country.
Hsieh Su-wei, a six-time Grand Slam champion, has never seen commercial support from Taiwanese companies.
Have all the past controversies scared commercial sponsors away? If not, why is the former world No. 1 in women’s doubles not favored by local businesses? After all, the feud between them over the past two decades might be a result of a variety of conflicts that have arisen from the imperfect sports system itself.
Today, Hsieh Su-wei is 37, and she probably only has a few years of competitive tennis ahead of her. It is hoped that in the near future, she can make Taiwanese proud by taking home yet another Grand Slam title in clothing bearing Taiwanese logos. We should also thank Hsieh Su-wei and her family for leading Taiwan to the top of the tennis world, and are looking forward to seeing her lift a Grand Slam trophy again.
Lee Chia-yao is a professor at National Taipei University of Education’s Department of Physical Education.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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