Second-seeded shuttler Chou recovers from ankle pain to win Olympic opening match

TOKYO, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Second-seeded shuttler Chou Tien-Chen of Chinese Taipei said here on Sunday that he felt fortunate recovering in time from ankle pain to play in the Olympic Games.

Chou crushed Swedish player Felix Burestedt 2-0 in straight sets 21-12, 21-11 at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza.

Chou, world No.4 in men's singles and one of the hopefuls to reach the Olympic podium, said that he felt a little uncomfortable with his right ankle and even doubted whether he can still run across the whole court in the game before departing for the Tokyo tournament.

"Then it began to recover in the last one or two days (ahead of the competition). I feel very grateful that I can recover at this very moment," Chou said.

"This is my second time for the Olympics. Every time I gave everything I've got to win qualification, in particular for Tokyo Olympics, I've been waiting and training for the past five years ever since the moment the Rio Games ended," the 31-year-old continued.

"I am now so excited and meanwhile full of gratitude that I am able to participate in Tokyo Games in a healthy status."

Speaking of his goal, Chou said he seeks to win a medal, but more importantly, he has to do it step by step and try his best to play each match well in the first place.

"I will do my utmost to make full use of the techniques I got in my training on the Olympic court," he noted.

Talking about a comfortable win in the opening game, Chou said that he would respect every opponent standing on the court. "All of them made a lot of preparations for this, and as the tournament moves forward, I will face increasingly stronger rivals," he added.

Asked whether a game without spectators will affect him, Chou said he is already thankful that they can play the Olympics, even without an audience.

"I will do whatever I can to pass on positive energy to everyone," he said.