Nguyen Tien Minh was calm when he lost the number one position in Vietnam

- According to the order table of the World Badminton Federation on March 14, Nguyen Hai Dang climbed five places to 163 in the world, and Nguyen Tien Minh dropped to 165. That helped Hai Dang become the number one male singles player in Vietnam. Nam - the position Tien Minh has held for 21 years. What do you think about this transformation?

- I'm not surprised. The fact that Hai Dang or any other tennis player has surpassed me to become the number one in Vietnam is like the story of "old bamboo shoots growing". Because they are young, energetic and compete internationally, they accumulate points for promotion. For me right now, rank doesn't matter anymore. As long as you can hold a racquet, you will be happy that day.

- So in the past 21 years, what does the position of "Vietnam's number one tennis player" mean to you?

- I competed internationally since 2002, when I was only 252nd, but was already number one in Vietnam. Then there was a time when I climbed to fifth in the world, just behind Lee Chong Wei, Peter Gade, Taufik Hidayat and Boonsak Ponsana. At that time, I stood above former Olympic and world champions like Lin Dan or Chen Long.

It has been a long road, with many honors but also pressures. Many times, I'm not afraid of losing, but afraid of substituting people's expectations. Therefore, I always feel a responsibility to perform as well as possible. That motivates me to work hard, try my best to win. If you lose, you also lose so that everyone can see that you tried your best. The more pressure, the more effort I put in.

- How do you rate Nguyen Hai Dang?

- It is a talent of current Vietnamese badminton, but there is still a lot to improve. Hai Dang has many qualities, plays a rare left hand, has a good sense of the ball, is smart and has sharper shots than me. However, Hai Dang is still weak in physical strength, speed and stubbornness. Small bodybuilding is also a disadvantage compared to world competitors. What Hai Dang needs right now is a good partner to practice with and push himself to get ahead.

- What do you expect from this "successor"?

- I have high expectations for Hai Dang, but in sports, I don't say anything in advance. When you reach the top, you will face many risks of injury, loss of performance... Therefore, you must constantly try to overcome. Hai Dang is playing well but it also takes time to become a top player. I believe, if he works hard and has the right direction, he can do it.

- So what are your future plans?

- I am 40 years old, but I have not decided to retire yet. I feel like I can still play at the best level of badminton, and I'm happy to still have the opportunity to compete with some of the world's top athletes. I am practicing to prepare for the Ciputra HaNoi - Yonex Sunrise 2023 international badminton tournament from March 21 to March 26. Then I attended the national championship in August in Bac Giang.