Marcus Ellis savoured what could be his final YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships appearance despite losing in the second round.
Alongside mixed doubles partner Lauren Smith, the Huddersfield native lost 21-17 21-9 to Dejan Ferdinansyah and Gloria Emmanuelle Widjaja of Indonesia.
The 34-year-old did not confirm whether he and Smith would retire following their run to the last 16.
“I think we don't know how long we'll be playing for,” Ellis said. “We both had our injury struggles over the last year or two.
“And we know every single tournament we go to, we don't know if it's going to be the last time we go there.
We certainly love Badmintonly 🤗 - Lauren Smith after their round 2 defeat earlier today.
— 🏆 Yonex All England Badminton Championships 🏆 (@YonexAllEngland) March 14, 2024
The passion is still there 💖❤️🔥 #YAE24 #Badminton #AllEngland #AllofBadminton pic.twitter.com/I8yfA7A6Ij
“It may or may not be, but every single time we step out on court at All England, we want it to be something that we can proud of.
“Maybe that's a little bit more pressure on ourselves and unwanted pressure.
“We're not 100%. Nothing is 100% and nothing is a given but if that is the last time we're out on that court, I want to remember it in a positive way.”
Ellis and Smith had shared a close encounter with the Indonesian duo earlier this year and there was little to separate them in the first game.
The longest run of points came at the conclusion of the opener as Ferdinansyah and Widjaja powered to 21-17 with four consecutive points.
The second game was a different story as Smith and Ellis struggled with the change of ends and succumbed to a 21-9 loss.
👏 Lauren, Marcus, whatever the future holds, hold your heads up high. We're so proud of you both 👏
— 🏆 Yonex All England Badminton Championships 🏆 (@YonexAllEngland) March 14, 2024
❤️ Admin: Apologies, slightly biased post, but we love these two ❤️#YAE24 #allofbadminton pic.twitter.com/uEJh9GeRKu
As the pair weigh up their options, Ellis is content in what the pair have achieved in their careers despite recent struggles with injury.
He added: “We could have packed up and gone home a long time ago quite honestly.
“At the last Olympics in Tokyo, we both came off court and said we want to do this again, we want to try and do this again.
Little did we know what was around the corner for us, we probably should have known once we got into our early 30s what was waiting.
It’s been really tricky but I wouldn’t change a single thing that we’ve done and I want to see it out whenever that is going to be.”
Be part of All The Action at the All England. Tickets are still available at allenglandbadminton.com. Can’t be in Birmingham this week? You can still see badminton’s most prestigious tournament play out on BBC Sport and TNT Sports. Don’t miss a minute!
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