Zhang Nan / Zhao Yunlei won various important tournaments since 2010-2016. At that time, Zhang Nan / Zhao Yunlei was the world’s best mixed doubles pair.
Both of them have even been involved in love relationships outside the field. Starting a career from the bottom, Zhang / Zhao won the world number one and this position lasted for two years.
Zhao’s age, which is 4 years older than Zhang, is not an obstacle to the two having a special relationship. Their love relationship was publicly known at the 2010 Japan Open. At that time, Zhang Nan hugged and kissed Zhao happily after they defeated his compatriot, Tao Jiangming / Tian Qing, and won the title.
However, they only publicized their relationship in 2011 and continue to support each other. This mixed dual pair is also known for not wanting to mix personal issues with their profession as athletes.
Zhang / Zhao’s romance seems even more sweet when the two mixed doubles are almost unbeatable on the field. They complete it with the 2012 London Olympics gold medal and the 2014 Asian Games. Zhang and Zhao’s relationship has been running for six years.
However, this couple was exposed to the issue of infidelity. Zhang Nan is reportedly in a relationship with Zhao’s colleague in the women’s doubles number, Tian Qing. The news made Zhao furious. As a result, Zhang and Zhao’s performance on the ground began to decline after these rumors.
Zhao who competed with Tian in the women’s doubles sector also seemed to lack communication. In fact, Zhao / Tian is a women’s doubles gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics. At the same time, Zhao refused to play with Tian Qing in the women’s doubles at the 2016 Rio Olympics even though they were ranked fourth race to Rio
In 2016, Zhang finally broke up with Zhou. They failed to win a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, Zhang won the 2016 Rio Olympics men’s doubles gold medal with Fu Haifeng.
One day after Zhang Nan / Fu Haifeng won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Zhao Yunlei immediately posted a message on his social media page and admitted that he and Zhang Nan had ended their relationship before the Rio Olympics.
“I want to congratulate Zhang for achieving his dream. I hope a bright future for Zhang,” Zhao said. “Finally this is the right time for me to answer the speculation circulating between us. Zhang and I have separated before the Olympics. We are not lovers anymore,” Zhao said.
Zhou then decided to retire after the 2016 Rio Olympics. Zhao Yunlei surprised the public because he was legally married to his former Chinese national teammate, Hong Wei, on June 1, 2018. Moreover, the love affair between Zhao Yunlei and Hong Wei almost never surfaced, but the two were suddenly married.
After being flogged with the issue of an affair that has never been confirmed, Zhang and Tian finally announced their marriage in December 2018. Zhang Nan and Tian Qing have reportedly formed love before the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Zhang Nan is currently still undergoing a career as a badminton player, while Tian Qing has retired from the Chinese badminton national team.
