Strong rivals

With home advantage on their side, Japan's men's world No 4 Tomokazu Harimoto and women's world No 2 Mima Ito will provide stiff opposition for China.

The debut of mixed doubles at the Games presents an extra element of uncertainty. Liu and Xu currently sit third in the rankings behind Japanese pair Ito and Jun Mizutani, and the top-ranked Chinese Taipei duo, Cheng I-ching and Lin Yun-ju.

"Mixed doubles is about cooperation. I used to just care about my own pace, but that's not a good tactic in mixed doubles. Through our training, I've been changing my mindset," Liu told CCTV.

"The Olympics are upon us now, and I feel I'm ready. At this stage, we should simply stay safe, and wait for the start of the Games."

CTTA president Liu－a two-time Olympic champion during his legendary playing career－echoed those sentiments, saying:"The team is ready, and we have been preparing for this for five years, and we're just waiting to shine in Tokyo.

"Everyone is confident and in a good frame of mind. So we just have to help them adjust their pace and mentality to ease the pressure a little and let them enjoy the Olympics."