KUALA LUMPUR: A little humility goes a long way, and in world No 4 Chou Tien Chen's case, it helps him to stay at the top of his game.
At 32, the Taiwanese ace is the only above-30 player among the current top-five men's singles shuttlers in the world, and it doesn't look like he's slowing down anytime soon.
Tien Chen may not have tasted victory since the 2019 Taiwan Open, but he regularly reaches the semi-finals of tournaments.
Three weeks ago, he finished runner-up to world No 1 Viktor Axelsen at the Indonesia Masters.
In March, the six-time World Tour champion also made it to the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion Axelsen.
"My spirit and desire," said Tien Chen, the 2018 Asian Games silver medallist, when asked what keeps him motivated at this age.
"I always see myself as a newcomer rather than a top player because if you regard yourself too highly, you will limit your potential.
"Although I've been in this game for a very long time, I'm still eager to learn something new. I am always looking for ways to improve my game every day."
Tien Chen added that he also got inspired by the recent training stint in Malaysia, where he joined world No 5 Lee Zii Jia and 59th-ranked Soong Joo Ven in two separate camps just before the Indonesian legs.
"I felt so welcomed here. It was an eye-opening experience because all players start training early in the morning here. I guess it must be due to the humid weather here.
"But what really impressed me was how the players here grind out in training in their pursuit of becoming a world-beater.
"It reminds me of when I first started out playing competitive badminton. I feel really blessed to have come a long way and to be able to compete at the highest level until today."
Tien Chen hopes to make the most of Axelsen and Zii Jia's absence as he seeks to end his three-year title drought here this week.
He survived a scare today before beating Sameer Verma of India 10-21, 21-12, 21-14 to set up a last-16 clash against Malaysia's Ng Tze Yong.