Zhang Nan (; born 1 March 1990) is a Chinese

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

player who specializes in both men's and mixed doubles. He found much success in mixed doubles with his former partner

Zhao Yunlei Zhao Yunlei (born 25 August 1986) is a mixed and women's doubles badminton player from China. She graduated with a BA from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. She is the first and only badminton player to have ever won two gold medals ...

. They won gold in

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, 3 golds in

BWF World Championships The BWF World Championships, formerly known as IBF World Championships, and also known as the World Badminton Championships, is a badminton tournament sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). The tournament is one of the most prestigious i ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and a gold at the

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...

. Having won all major events as a pair, they are considered one of the most successful mixed doubles pairs of all time. Having found huge success in mixed doubles with Zhao, Zhang partnered

Fu Haifeng Fu Haifeng (born 23 August 1983) is a Chinese former badminton player. He is regarded as one of the greatest men's doubles players of all time. Sport career Combining Fu Haifeng's impressive power with his regular partner Cai Yun's impressive s ...

with whom he won gold in

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

. After this, Fu retired and Zhang partnered Liu Cheng and became World Champion in the men's doubles at the

2017 BWF World Championships The 2017 BWF World Championships of badminton were held from 21 to 27 August at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. The venue can hold 6,000 spectators. When Glasgow hosted the event in 1997 it was held at the Scotstoun Centre. Host cit ...

Career

Zhao Yunlei & Zhang Nan Indonesia Open 2016

Zhang Nan is a

player who has achieved success in both men's and mixed doubles. In the men's doubles he has been paired with

Chai Biao Chai Biao (; born 10 October 1990) is a Chinese professional badminton player. Chai has concentrated on men's doubles for the majority of his senior career in badminton. His most successful partnership was with Hong Wei: together they reached the ...

Lu Kai Lu Kai (198 – December 269 or January 270), courtesy name Jingfeng, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the influential Lu clan of the Wu region toward ...

, Liu Cheng and Ou Xuanyi; while in the mixed doubles he has been paired with Lu Lu,

Tang Jinhua Tang Jinhua (; born 8 January 1992) is a Chinese retired badminton player who competed at the highest level during the second decade of the 2000s, winning numerous women's doubles and occasional mixed doubles events with a variety of partners. S ...

and

Li Yinhui Li Yinhui (; born 11 March 1997) is a Chinese retired badminton player. She won the silver medal at the 2014 Asian Junior Championships in the girls' doubles event partnered with Du Yue. She and Du Yue then made it to the gold medal 2015. Toge ...

2010

He participated in the

2010 Thomas Cup The 2010 Thomas & Uber Cup was the 26th tournament of the Thomas Cup and 23rd tournament of the Uber Cup, the most important and most prestigious badminton tournaments in men's and women's team competition, respectively. The 2010 championships mar ...

in Kuala Lumpur, playing for China. He also played in

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...

in Guangzhou. Zhang has achieved one of the three most prestigious badminton titles, winning the All England Open that year with

, winning over

Nova Widianto Andreas Nova Widianto (born 10 October 1977) is an Indonesian former badminton player. He is currently the Indonesia national team mixed doubles head coach. Career Nova Widianto is considered one of the greatest doubles player in his era. He i ...

and

Liliyana Natsir Liliyana Natsir (born 9 September 1985) is an Indonesian former badminton player who specialized in doubles. She is one of the standout front court player, with dexterousness and skill in controlling and executing the shuttlecock. Natsir has tre ...

of Indonesia, 21–18, 23–25, 21–18, the first pair to win the title as qualifiers. Zhang has a larger achievement with Zhao in the mixed doubles event rather than with Chai. Zhang and Zhao won the Japan Open title, beating compatriots Tao Jiaming and

Tian Qing Tian Qing (; born 19 August 1986) is a Chinese badminton player specializing in doubles. Career Tian Qing started to practice badminton with her father Tian Jianyi who also a badminton coach in Anhua Sports School at aged 7. In 1998, she move ...

in the final, 21–19, 22–20. Meanwhile, Zhang and Chai's journey in Tokyo was ended by seniors

Cai Yun Cai Yun (born 19 January 1980) is a former professional badminton player representing China. He is the 2012 London Olympic gold medallist and a four-time World Champion in men's doubles. He is regarded as one of the greatest men's doubles player ...

and

in the semi-finals, losing 17–21 and 16–21. In China Open, Zhang attended the men's and mixed doubles finals but he lost in both events. In the men's doubles, South Korea's Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae emerged as the winners as they downed Zhang and Chai in straight sets, 21–15 and 21–12. In the mixed doubles final, Tao Jiaming and

took revenge with a 21–18, 21–17 triumph over Zhang and Zhao. Zhang only played in mixed doubles in the last Super Series tournament of 2010, Hong Kong Open. Seeded fifth, he and Zhao reached the final but lost in a long three-set match against Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen of Denmark 20–22, 21–14, and 20–22.

2011

Zhang and Zhao were qualified to play in the 2010 Super Series Finals Taiwan. They became the winner by beating Thailand's

Sudket Prapakamol Sudket Prapakamol ( th, สุดเขต ประภากมล; ; born 8 February 1980) is a badminton player from Thailand. He is a police lieutenant and a sportsman like his brother. He has a Bachelor's degree from the University of the Th ...

and

Saralee Thungthongkam Captain Saralee Thungthongkam ( th, สราลีย์ ทุ่งทองคำ ผู้พัน หรือน.อ.ส้ม; ; born 13 June 1979) is a Thai retired badminton player. She graduated with a master's degree in Communication ...

21–17, 21–12 in the final. Zhang and Chai also played in the Super Series Finals, yet both were conquered by Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae in the last four 15–21 and 11–21 in just 30 minutes. Once again, Zhang and Zhao met Tao Jiaming and Tian Qing, now in Korea Open final. Zhang and Zhao vanquished their teammates 21–17, 13–21, and 21–19 to become the first winners of a Super Series Premier.

2012

In July–August at the London Olympics, he won the gold medal at the mixed doubles event with

, beating compatriots

Xu Chen Xu Chen (; born 29 November 1984) is a badminton player from China. In 2010, he (along with his partner Guo Zhendong) was ranked within the top 10 men's badminton doubles in the world. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the mixed double ...

and

Ma Jin Ma Jin (; born 7 May 1988) is a badminton player from China who specialises in women's and mixed doubles. She partnered Wang Xiaoli in women's doubles and excelled in the category until 2010 when both players are split after China failed to defe ...

in the gold medal match, 21–11, 21–17.

2016

At the

2016 Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro ...

, Zhang and Zhao, the defending champions in the mixed doubles event, lost in the semi-final, but successfully clinched a bronze medal after winning a rematch of the last edition's final, beating Xu Chen and Ma Jin in straight games again. On the other hand, Zhang won the gold medal with Fu Haifeng in the men's doubles event, beating Malaysians

Goh V Shem Goh V Shem (; born Goh Wei Shem, 20 May 1989) is a Malaysian badminton player in the doubles event. He was partnered with Tan Wee Kiong after their outstanding performance at the 2014 Thomas Cup. Together, Goh and Tan won the gold medal for ...

and

Tan Wee Kiong Tan Wee Kiong (; born 21 May 1989) is a Malaysian badminton player in the doubles event. He is well-known for his former partnership with Goh V Shem, which began at the 2014 Thomas Cup. Together, Tan and Goh won the gold medal in the men's d ...

in a tightly-fought match, 16–21, 21–11, 23–21. They saved two gold medal points during the third game, and eventually converted one on their first opportunity.

2017

Zhang won the World Championships in the men's doubles event with Liu Cheng, defeating Indonesians Mohammad Ahsan and

Rian Agung Saputro Rian Agung Saputro (born 25 June 1990) is an Indonesian badminton player. He was partnered with Angga Pratama in men's doubles, but split after the 2014 Asian Games. Saputro was then partnered with Berry Angriawan. They debuted at the 2014 Ho ...

in the final, 21–10, 21–17 to win the gold medal.

2022: Resignation from the Chinese national badminton team

Zhang announced his resignation from the Chinese national team in late August on his Weibo account, stating that he would continue to play badminton as an independent player with the permission of the

Chinese Badminton Association Chinese Badminton Association () is a national non-governmental, non-profit sports organisation in China. It represents China in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and the Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) as well as the sport of badminton in ...

Achievements

Olympic Games

''Men's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

BWF World Championships

''Men's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

Asian Games

''Mixed doubles''

Asian Championships

''Men's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

East Asian Games

''Men's doubles''

BWF World Junior Championships

''Mixed doubles''

Asian Junior Championships

''Boys' doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

BWF World Tour (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the

Badminton World Federation The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...

(BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100. ''Men's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

BWF Superseries (31 titles, 15 runners-up)

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the

(BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011. Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year. ''Men's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles'' : Superseries Finals Tournament : Superseries Premier Tournament : Superseries Tournament

BWF Grand Prix (7 titles, 4 runners-up)

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the

(BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017. ''Men's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles'' : BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament : BWF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series (1 title)

''Men's doubles'' :

BWF International Challenge The BWF International Challenge is a grade 3 and level 1 tournament part of Continental Circuit of BWF tournaments along with International Series (level 2) and Future Series (level 3), sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007. ...

tournament :

BWF International Series The BWF International Series is a grade 3 and level 2 tournament part of Continental Circuit of BWF tournaments along with International Challenge (level 1) and Future Series (level 3), sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007. ...

tournament :

BWF Future Series The BWF Future Series is a grade 3 and level 3 tournaments part of Continental Circuit of BWF tournaments along with International Challenge (level 1) and International Series (level 2), sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007. ...

tournament

Personal life

He started a relationship with his mixed doubles partner

in 2010. However, before

, Zhao Yunlei announced that she and Zhang Nan were no longer together. He later married another Chinese badminton player

in November 2018.

References

External links

* * * *
2010 Asian Games Badminton Biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Nan 1990 births Living people Badminton players from Beijing Chinese male badminton players Badminton players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic badminton players of China 2016 Olympic gold medalists for China 2016 Olympic bronze medalists for China Olympic medalists in badminton Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2010 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2014 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for China Asian Games silver medalists for China Asian Games medalists in badminton Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games World No. 1 badminton players