Speaking Mandarin To Growing Up Together: 5 Fun Facts About Pearly Tan & M Thinaah

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Tan speaks Bahasa Melayu, English, and Mandarin, while Thinaah speaks the same three languages as well as Tamil.

During matches, they use a mix of the three languages.

"When the rally is going on, I think I speak Mandarin more," Thinaah shared in a 2021 interview.

"But during the break, when we discuss the game, I think I mix three languages — English, Bahasa Melayu, and Chinese — because [Tan] understands these three languages, so I just mix them.

"When we are tired, we don't know what language we are going to use. It just comes out, and thankfully, she understands what I say," said Thinaah to a chuckling Tan beside her.

Tan said she is glad her partner can communicate in Mandarin, as it is the best language for her to express her feelings.

Thinaah's mother revealed in a 2022 interview that the shuttler gradually learned Mandarin during her high school years after struggling to communicate with her badminton peers, who were mostly Chinese.

Watch Tan and Thinaah share their unique communication method in the video below at the 1:44-minute mark:

Tan was 13 years old when she met Thinaah, who was two years her senior.

The two met at the Bukit Jalil Sports School after both achieved success in junior competitions.

In an interview in 2022 with the New Straits Times, Tan attributed their rise in ranking to the trust she and Thinaah have built over the past decade.

"Off court, we talk about our lives, our targets and that's how we built this trust.

"It shows in our game because we have this confidence that the other person is there to cover for us.

"And it's also because we have the courage to try and be more adventurous with our shots," said the 24-year-old.

Below is a video of the duo answering fun questions about their friendship:

Tan's father, Tan Seng Hoe, is a badminton coach who once trained a young Lee Zii Jia at the Alor Setar Racquet Club, reported the New Straits Times.

Additionally, The Star reported in 2022 that Tan's sister is a former national shuttler.

Similarly, Thinaah's sister, Selinaah, is a former national shuttler and is now a certified badminton coach and award-winning poet, reported FMT.

Speaking to the Badminton World Federation, Thinaah described 2022 as a turning point in her career, marked by limited success as a singles player.

The Klang-born shuttler started her career strong in 2018 by winning the Iran Fajr International Challenge, but this was soon followed by several early exits.

She continued her singles career the next year, but when she was paired with Tan, she came to a crossroads: switch to the doubles or quit badminton forever.

"I had fun playing doubles when I was a singles player.

"So when I decided that I wanted to go to doubles, it was a do-or-die situation for me," Thinaah recounted.

She explained that the decision to switch was coincidental, as an extra doubles player was occasionally needed during team sessions.

"It's fortunate that the coaches wanted me; if they hadn't, I would have left badminton and signed off from the badminton family,” she added.

The debut fulfilled their childhood dream.

Since partnering in 2019, they went on to win the Swiss Open in 2021 and the French Open in 2022.

They also secured the women’s doubles gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, beating the home team of Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith.