Since the beginning of 2022, Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan have won all the eight finals they contested.

Incredibly, the last seven of those victories have been in straight games, and their most recent three-game battle was at the German Open a year ago.

So what is the secret behind their excellence in title matches?

Jia says: “Every time we are prepared to lose.

“In sports, no one can guarantee you will win all the time. In a match, all four players want to win, but only two can. You have to be prepared for everything.”

Chen adds: “We have this motto and that is we are not afraid to start from zero again or start afresh.

“It’s human nature to want to win when you lose. Because of this desire to defeat each other, everyone improves. I find this very interesting. We are always competing against each other. This is the beauty of sports.”

Chen and Jia start the All England as first seeds. The 2019 winners however, have not had much joy since – losing in the quarterfinals in 2020 and stumbling in the first round last year. The three-time world champions are slated to open their campaign against Japan’s Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi.

“Every pair come 120 per cent prepared against us. We are aware our opponents are studying our play. That means we must work even harder,” asserts Jia.

After lifting the Malaysia Open in January, when asked how it is to win a Super 1000, a laughing Jia replied: “We earn a lot. During the Chinese New Year, I get to give my parents red packets.”

Following a brief giggle, Chen set the record straight: “Not just money, we also earn a lot of experience. And we worked for it.

“Of course, I wish I can win forever but reality isn’t like this. We can only train hard and do our best.”

And that is the attitude towards their profession that has kept the world No.1s invincible in eight consecutive finals.