Singapore badminton mixed doubles player Jessica Tan retires

SINGAPORE – After achieving everything she set out to accomplish on the badminton court, Singapore’s mixed doubles player Jessica Tan is wrapping up her 14-year career to pursue further education.

One of the nation’s most successful players, the 31-year-old won 10 titles with Terry Hee, whom she married in 2021. Their achievements include a historic 2022 Commonwealth Games mixed doubles gold in Birmingham and three triumphs on the Badminton World Federation World Tour.

Once ranked as high as world No. 13, they became the first Singapore-born mixed doubles pair to qualify for the Olympics, and in Paris 2024 they won one match but were eliminated at the group stage.

Tan also has five women’s team bronzes at the SEA Games.

She told The Straits Times: “I first joined the national team as a singles player and made the transition to doubles two years later.

“Mixed doubles play is quicker and the switch was tough as I had to change a lot of habits – from high and long serves to short serves, and getting used to shorter and faster strokes and swings.

“Playing against men, I also had to work on my power.

“Throughout my career, I went through a lot of ups and downs. I had a traffic accident, multiple sports injuries that required surgery, and my mother passed away in 2023 two months before the Olympic qualification began. Those were incredibly difficult periods.

“These shaped how I see pressure, performance and purpose. I learnt how to keep going, even when things felt overwhelming, and Terry and I created multiple historic moments.

“Now, I feel ready to say yes to new challenges and give back to the sport that has given me so much.”

After withdrawing from the Nanyang Technological University’s sport science and management programme in 2011 to