Recently, at the Hylo Open, Yvonne Li had to miss out due to an injury. Of all things, the 300 tournament in Saarbrücken, where the former Lüdinghauser has already been on the podium twice, is the most important in this country alongside the German Open. The 26-year-old had bone edema in her foot, the precursor to a stress fracture. Or, as Li puts it: “A signal from your body that you may have played too many games.”
Unfortunately, the tight international calendar takes little account of this: starting next week, the woman from SV Fun-Ball Dortelweil will be in action first at the Japan and then at the China Masters. The German number one, who has been undisputed for years, will therefore miss the Bundesliga guest game of the reigning champions on Sunday (November 10th), 2 p.m., in the Drei-Burgen-Arena. What Li also regrets, after all, she was in the SC Union squad from 2015 to 2022.
Big goals, big squad
One reason for changing clubs two years ago (besides the greater chances of success): that, unlike in Lüdinghausen, she doesn’t have to be present at almost every game. With new additions Beiwen Zhang and Iris Wang (both USA), Dortelweil has two more world-class players. It’s all a question of budget, of course. But “if you want to get through the long season successfully, you just need a big squad,” says Li.
The Hessians, once an elevator team, won the title for the first time in April in front of their own crowd. Li sat behind the boards at the Final Four, but was unable to take part in the action due to health reasons. This makes their desire to be actively involved in 2025 all the greater. The defending champions proved at the end of October that Dortelweil is definitely a force to be reckoned with again this season when they defeated Wipperfeld 5-2 in a new edition of the DM final. A high-class duel in front of 200 spectators – “that was almost Lüdinghauser conditions,” says Li and laughs. The Big Three – Dortelweil, Wipperfeld and Bischmisheim – would be considered for the title. But Li also has the former club on his list: “If the team is complete, Lüdinghausen can be dangerous to any opponent.”
08-Youth work “unique”
She follows with great interest how well the 08 offspring are thriving. Boys and girls who, back when she was playing for Union, shyly asked their idol for an autograph, worked the scoreboard, learned technical tricks: “It would be nice for the club to have these top talents on a regular basis in the not too distant future in the first league. What the Unionists do on a voluntary basis, especially in the youth sector, how many important tournaments they have organized since the new hall opened: that is unique.”
And, last question, what does your own future look like? A post on social networks made after the Paris Games left room for interpretation. Li believes that “it’s normal to sit down before the next Olympic cycle, evaluate things and finally decide whether and, if so, how to proceed.” In any case, it was never the case that she would completely withdraw from top-class sport Theme”. At most, she occasionally gives her battered ligaments and joints a break.
