Taiwanese tennis fans are undoubtedly looking forward to the performance of Taiwan’s very own tennis star, Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) at this year’s Paris Olympics.
Hsieh, who has nine Grand Slam titles to her name, will return to the Olympic stage for the first time since London 2012. This time partnering with the 20-year-old rising star Tsao Chia-yi (曹家宜) in hopes of securing Taiwan’s first-ever tennis Olympic medal.
After an 18-month hiatus due to injury, Hsieh staged a remarkable comeback last April, securing Grand Slam victories at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. She also reached the semifinals at the US Open and briefly reclaimed the top spot in the doubles rankings in March this year. Hsieh Su-wei recently announced via Facebook that she would represent Taiwan at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She secured her ticket with a world ranking of 2 in women's doubles and selected Tsao Chia-yi as her partner.
Regarding her debut on the Olympic stage, Tsao said she was honored to be partnering Hsieh Su-wei. Tsao pledged to give her best effort to perform well and get into the best shape to win. Tsao won the women’s team gold medal at the Chengdu FISU World University Games in 2023. Most recently, she and her Thai partner Peangtarn Plipuech clinched the women's doubles title at the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden; Thus achieving her 16th women's doubles championship in her career.
Hsieh Su-wei and Tsao Chia-yi will compete together in the WTA 250 Prague Open before the Olympics to further hone their partnership and strategy.