‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S!’ Zheng Si Wei, the world’s best mixed doubles shuttler exclaims, grinning about catching up on the series from a decade back, now that he’s well versed with English. “I also carry an English-only music album and keep listening to it,” the tall doubles player adds. If you thought Tai Tzu Ying’s deceptive strokes were the toughest thing to decipher in international badminton, for all these years it is in fact reading the thoughts of China’s champions that have proven most elusive. With communication limited owing to global media not being well-versed in Mandarin or Cantonese and players not really...