Hong Kong tennis star Zhang Ling calls it a quits after operation fails to save her career
- ‘I thought I might be able to play until 39, like Roger Federer, but my right elbow problem didn’t allow me,’ says former mainlander
- Injury plus the pandemic give her an opportunity to reconsider her future after more than a decade as Hong Kong’s number one
Zhang Ling thought she could play on until she was 39, just like Roger Federer, but a nagging elbow injury has forced the former Hong Kong number one to retire, with regret.
The former mainlander arrived in Hong Kong in 2004 as a shy girl from Hunan province, but blossomed to reign over Hong Kong tennis for 13 years.
“For me, age is not a problem, but unfortunately injury is,” said the right-handed player, who turns 31 next month. “I thought I might be able to play until 39, like Federer, but my right elbow problem didn’t allow me, especially when I had to play a number of days continuously in a tournament.”
Zhang, who has been troubled by the injury for a long time, decided to have an operation to try to fix it last year. But after a six-month recuperation, she still felt pain when she started playing again.
During her recovery, she also lost her number one spot she held since 2007 to teammate Eudice Chong. Zhang last played in the ITF US$15,000 tournament in Tunisia in February and the pandemic stopped her from playing again.
