Badminton star Ratchanok Intanon says she needs to improve her physical strength in order to return to the pinnacle of the sport.
Ratchanok Intanon. ap RUI VIEIRA
The 22-year-old Thai arrived in Bangkok yesterday from Britain where she lost 21-18, 22-20 to top-ranked Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan in the All England Open final on Sunday.
"I am happy with my overall performance. Reaching the final was satisfying as I faced tough opponents from the quarter-finals to the final,'' she said.
She defeated Olympic champion Carolina Marin in the quarter-finals and beat Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the last four.
Ratchanok was particularly happy with her 2-1 win over Marin after she staged a brilliant comeback with 10 straight points in the deciding set to finish off the Spaniard.
The All England Open was world No.7 Ratchanok's first tournament after returning from injury. Her previous event was the World Superseries Finals in December when she was eliminated in the group stage.
"I now do not have a problem with my left knee but I feel exhausted. I need a rest and have to improve my physical strength,'' said the 2013 world champion.
Ratchanok seemingly ran out of steam in the second set against Tai.
She took a 20-18 lead only for the Taiwanese to win the match with four unanswered points.
Ratchanok will defend three titles in three consecutive weeks in India (March 28-April 2), Malaysia (April 4-9) and Singapore (April 11-16).
After the wins last year, she briefly took the No.1 spot but faded in the second half of the season.
"I want to win the three titles again. I will do my best,'' said Ratchanok who plans to play 15 more tournaments this year.