Single-minded Zhu simply content to court excellence

Romance on the backburner for China's superstar spiker

Zhu Ting is happy to put romance on hold as she continues her volleyball love affair

The relationship status of China's towering captain intrigues fans, who yearn for their hero to find Mr Right-especially since teammate Zhang Changning and basketball star Wu Guanxi recently became China's latest sporting power couple.

However, the 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters) Zhu is in no rush to find true love-and when she does, he doesn't necessarily have to be a giant.

"I want my love story just like a fairytale, even though it may sound unrealistic," the 23-year-old told WeChat portal Welovevolley last weekend. "I really have no requirement on my future husband's height.

"My sister is also above 1.8 meters and her husband is just 1.7 meters, but they are still in love. As long as the gap is not too huge, I can accept him," she said.

"Right now I have no plans about when to find a boyfriend or get married."

With a trophy-laden career that includes the 2016 Olympic title, Zhu is counted among China's best-loved and most famous athletes, alongside NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming and tennis great Li Na.

The typically humble Zhu, though, doesn't consider herself in the same orbit as those megastars.

"I'm actually very happy to hear people compare me with Yao Ming and Li Na, who are truly remarkable athletes and contribute a lot to the nation's sports development," said Zhu, who plays for Turkish club Vakifbank Istanbul.

"Although I won Olympic gold, my influence on society cannot be compared to those true megastars. But being like them is always my goal. I will learn from them."

At 23, it's strange to think of Zhu as a volleyball veteran, but the 2016 Rio MVP said age is now an issue for her on the court, with young guns like 18-year-old Li Yingying beginning to take just a little of the limelight away from her on the international stage.

"I'm afraid of injuries and being phased out as many of my teammates are much younger than me," said Zhu.