Since Yao Di's return, Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team has taken on a new look, achieving five consecutive victories in the league and rising to second place in the regular season. Moreover, they made history by winning the runner-up title at the Club World Cup. As a world champion of women's volleyball and a key contributor to Tianjin's second five consecutive championships, Yao Di has proven that she remains the best active Chinese women's volleyball setter. Not only has she brought back experience and smooth passing, but also firmness, confidence, and dominance.
Yao Di recently participated in an interview program on Tianjin TV Sports Channel, revealing some of her situations before and after her return. She said that initially, the plan was to return in the second stage of the league, but she did not expect the team to encounter such difficulties. Yao Di herself felt that if she continued to wait, the team's situation would become even more challenging. Therefore, out of a sense of responsibility and duty as a member of the team, she chose to return early.
The host asked how she managed to perform excellently in the league and the Club World Cup after returning early, despite having the longest recovery time among the team after matches.
Yao Di said, "I think I can use Yingying's words just now, which is about willpower. Because from recovery training to getting on the court, it's only about a month, and at first, I need to recover my strength. Only when I reach a certain level of strength can I touch the ball. This year, while they were with the national team, I trained for a month on strength. After finishing the strength training, I had a technical class, and my knees immediately swelled up. So at that time, I was quite anxious. I felt that I still needed a lot of time for strength training before I could engage in ball training."
Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team started with four wins and five losses, forcing them to let Yao Di return early. Yao Di frankly admitted that after returning early, her body reacted, and she needed to take painkillers.
"But this year's league didn't give me so much time, so there was no other way. So during the league, I also said that at this time, I could only rely on painkillers to get through. I think the overall performance on the court was much better than I expected. In fact, after the first game, I didn't have much confidence in my heart because it had been so long since I touched the ball and hadn't practiced with my teammates." Yao Di said. In her first game back, she won the award for the best player of the match, which was a huge encouragement for her.
The topic then turned to the Club World Cup. Yao Di said, "After hearing about the Club World Cup, my first feeling was excitement. I really wanted to participate in the Club World Cup. In fact, we studied our opponents a month ago when we participated last year. Last year, we didn't encounter such great difficulties. This year, due to the problems in the league, we didn't pay too much attention to the Club World Cup."
Yao Di also suggested to head coach Chen Fang during the league to watch the game video of Minas, but Chen Fang said to focus on the current league first.
Despite not preparing much for the Club World Cup, Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team surprisingly made history, which is an extraordinary achievement. Yao Di's return greatly helped young players, especially stimulating the energy of Wang Yizhu and Chen Boya. Chen Boya, the receiver of Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team, said, "Di Jie reminds me a lot on the court, including communication on spiking and blocking."
Yao Di jokingly said, "Chen Boya is the player who occupies my thoughts the most after my return, whether in training or games; she is the player I talk to the most. Because Dabo is a very introverted child. Sometimes when I say a lot to her, she just gives a response like 'um' or a smile. Sometimes I wonder, with all that I say to her, does she really listen?" Due to Yao Di's frequent reminders on the court, Chen Boya's performance has significantly improved.
At the Club World Cup, Yao Di also mentioned the situation during the semi-finals against Brazil Beach, saying that after two sets, her energy was already insufficient, and she could only continue to persevere. After losing a set to Brazil Beach, she had a moment of worry but quickly refocused and continued playing. Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team eventually overcame the difficulties and made history. After Yao Di's return, Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team achieved a record of nine wins and one loss in the league and the Club World Cup. Looking forward to her and Li Yingying leading Tianjin Women's Volleyball Team to continue creating excellent achievements.