At the age of 37, Hsieh Su-wei is one of the oldest competitors on the WTA Tour, having played for 22 years. She recently made her comeback after an 18-month layoff, joining forces with fellow 37-year-old player Barbora Strycova in doubles at the 2023 Madrid Open. As she inches towards her singles return, the experienced Taiwanese player remains a formidable presence on the tour.
Relaxing at Home and Recovering from Injury
During her time off, Hsieh Su-wei spent her time relaxing at home, cutting flowers, and taking care of her plants. She mentioned her decision to stop after the 2021 WTA Finals, as she aimed to fully recover from an injury she sustained in 2019. Hsieh says, “I was staying home, cutting my flowers, fixing my plants. So it was a very relaxing time at home. I tried to recover from the injury from 2019, because I was waiting for two years and there was no recovery.”
Planning the Singles Comeback
The former doubles World No.1 acknowledges that making a singles comeback under the best circumstances is highly difficult due to the competitiveness at the top level of the WTA Tour. However, thanks to support from her friends, Hsieh Su-wei is planning to return soon. She shared, “So I talked to some friends, and I said ‘OK, if you will travel with me, then I will come back to play.’ She said ‘Ok!’ I was not expecting it like this. This is the story of how I came back fast.”
Keeping in Touch with Tennis During Her Break
Hsieh Su-wei revealed that she stayed connected to the sport during her break, purchasing a big TV to watch her peers on the tour. She quipped, “We bought a big TV, so every time we watched on TV, we were next to the players. We saw everyone very clearly on the TV. So I don’t feel like I’m out. I was beside all these girls all the time.” While she awaits her singles comeback, Su-wei and Barbora Strycova are set to compete against Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi in their Madrid Open second-round match.
