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Former world No.1 doubles player Hsieh Su-wei has vowed to never represent her country again following an argument she had with the deputy head of the Taiwan Olympic delegation.
Su-wei has alleged that she was shouted at by Tsai Szu-chueh during a five-minute heated discussion in Rio de Janeiro. She has also claimed that Szu-Chueh was banging on the table. In light of the incident, Su-wei has announced her withdrawal from both the Olympics and representing her country on her Facebook account.
“As of today, I’m retired from tennis in Taiwan,” she said in a Facebook post.
“I will never be drafted to be a player on the national team again.”
The 30-year-old was set to play in both the singles and doubles competitions. Officials have told Focus Taiwan that they are still hopeful that Su-wei will change her mind and compete in the tournament. Following the incident, the premiere of the republic of China has voiced his own concerns. Lin Chan has asked officials to resolve their differences with Hsieh according to Radio Taiwan.
Hsieh’s decision to stop playing for her country has been backed by her father, who wrote a statement of support on her Facebook page. Describing his daughter as a ‘warrior woman’, he has blasted the Taiwan Olympic Committee and has accused them of bullying.
It isn’t the first time that Hsieh has clashed with tennis officials in her country. Last month she criticised the Chinese Taipei Tennis Association for not paying for her coach to travel to Rio with her. The association said that they couldn’t pay due to the limitations of their budget. On the other hand, doubles players Jan Yung-jan and Chan Hao-ching have been allowed to bring their coach.
In 2013 Hsieh became the first player from her country to claim a grand slam title after winning the Wimbledon doubles tournament with China’s Peng Shuai. She also won the doubles title at the 2014 French Open. In the singles competition, the 30-year-old has won two WTA titles and achieved a ranking high of 23 in 2013.
Hsieh was one out of five tennis players from her country participating in this year’s Rio Olympic Games.