All in the family: Svetlana Zilberman and her son Misha have no plans to give up despite her age.
PETALING JAYA: There is no age limit if you really like badminton and enjoy competing.
That is the belief of 65-year-old Svetlana Zilberman of Israel, who has no plans to retire anytime soon.
Svetlana formed a mixed doubles pair with her son Misha Zilberman since 2006 after failing to find him a suitable partner.
In their 17-year partnership, they have consistently crashed out in the early rounds of World Tour tournaments and have never won a title together.
Svetlana-Misha finally won their first ever World Tour match after overcoming world No. 507 Daniel Zhou-Jackie Dent of Canada in the first round of the US Open last month.
Despite suffering early round exits and her age, Svetlana does not want to give up yet as Misha’s career has kept her going.
“I’m just happy playing with my son,” Svetlana told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“When we are on court, we fight to win but we also try to enjoy ourselves.
“My son’s career keeps me going. While he plays professionally, I’ve to help him warm up and practise. It also keeps me in good shape.
“As long as Misha is active on the circuit, I will be too.”
At last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, Svetlana became the eldest player to win a match when she and Misha defeated Egypt’s world No. 65 Adham Hatem-Doha Hany in the first round.
Svetlana believes age will not be a stumbling block to her active participation in sports.
“If people see me as a role model, I’m flattered but it just shows there’s no age limit if you really like badminton and enjoy competing,” said Svetlana.
The duo survived one round before finally going down 11-21, 13-21 to China’s world No. 7 Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin in the second round at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark on Tuesday.
