Xuefei, what does your knee surgery change for you, as you are in full final preparation for the Olympics?
Xuefei Qi:
It bothers me a lot. Because of my knee, I was not able to play the European Championships and between now and the Games, I no longer have the possibility of playing a tournament. So it's complicated to play games with so few benchmarks, and especially without knowing if I could be at my best. I'm afraid of feeling a lack of competition because playing tournaments or training is not the same. During the Games, I know that anything is possible and I will give it my all. Simply, it would have been better to show up there with more matches and more confidence built up.
Moreover, in 2021, the fate was not favorable to you with in particular two tournaments where you faced Carolina Marin, the reigning Olympic champion…
Yes, since last September, luck has eluded me a bit. In Thailand, I hoped to perform well and twice I find myself facing Carolina. However, it all depends on what I'm looking for. If I want to take points to improve my ranking, obviously it's complicated when I come across it from the start. But if I want to compete at the highest level and improve, then those are two good matches for me.
You were talking about the standings, unfortunately it seems certain that you will not be seeded in Tokyo…
Yes, already during the European Championships, before my withdrawal, I was no longer seeded, which makes me really sad.
Last year, I was in an excellent dynamic and my rise in the standings gave me hope to be seeded in Tokyo.
But there, in 2021, I'm running out of both matches and wins, so some of my confidence is gone.
Are you feeling more and more pressure as these Games approach?
(She hesitates) Sometimes, yes, I feel a lot, and other times not at all.
I tell myself that at the moment, I am injured and that there is no point in putting more pressure on my shoulders.
The one-year postponement was not good news for you…
Yes, clearly.
Now I want to focus on the glass half full, on this dream of playing the Games that will come true for me.
“Being number 1, 2 or 5 isn't the most important thing to me. A ranking goes up and down. "
In Tokyo, you will represent France, and not China, your country of birth. What does this mean to you?
During the European Team Championships, it was the first time and I admit it was a little weird at the start. But I won all my matches in this competition, where we failed in the semi-finals, and I felt very good in that context. It has nothing to do with individual competition. I felt more pressure because I knew that if I played well in the first game, I would put the team on the right track. Whereas if I lost… It motivated me.
In China, you were behind several players while in France, you are propelled to number 1. Does this change your approach?
No, I do not think so. I don't feel any more pressure there. Being number 1, 2 or 5 isn't the most important thing to me. A ranking goes up and down. For me, what matters is my level of play and winning tournaments. Obviously, if my level is high, my ranking will be too. But there are sometimes bad times in a career, like right now with my injury, which can make the standings go down and when you come back, if you get back to your level, your ranking will take longer to climb. So really, I'm not focusing on that.
If at the Games, the draw puts a Chinese player in your path, how will you approach her?
It will necessarily be a little weird.
I have already experienced it in tournaments but at the Olympic Games, the feeling will inevitably be different.
There will be a little extra motivation for me.
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