Janice Tjen Reveals the Reasons for Her Absence from Representing Indonesia at the 2026 Asian Games

indonesiatravelsport.com - Indonesian women's tennis player Janice Tjen has officially confirmed she will not represent Indonesia at the 2026 Asian Games. Janice is forced to skip Asia's largest multi-sport event as its schedule directly clashes with the WTA 1000 tournament held in Beijing, China.

Janice announced this decision through a social media post on Friday. The 24-year-old athlete stated that the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) had formally confirmed she would not be granted exemption to leave the mandatory tour event in order to compete at the Asian Games.

"After going through extensive consideration, I have had to make this very difficult decision that I cannot compete at this year's Asian Games, which runs concurrently with the mandatory WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing," Janice stated.

This was an incredibly heavy choice for Janice, as representing Indonesia holds a deeply special place in her professional career. She admitted she always feels immense joy and pride whenever she gets the opportunity to wear the Red and White national colours in international competition.

Janice previously won a bronze medal for Indonesia in women's doubles alongside Aldila Sutjiadi at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

At the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, Janice secured gold in women's doubles with Aldila, gold in the women's team event, and an additional bronze medal in women's singles.

She was also part of Indonesia's squad at the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup, where her contribution helped the national team earn promotion, marking another proud milestone for Janice while representing her country.

"Representing Indonesia on the international stage means the world to me. I always carry great pride bringing Indonesia's name and flag with me every single week on the WTA Tour," she said.

However, the professional tennis calendar this year forced Janice to set hard priorities. The Beijing WTA 1000 is classified as a mandatory tour event, and the WTA refused to grant special permission for Janice to attend the 2026 Asian Games instead.

For Janice, her decision to miss the Asian Games does not reflect any reduced commitment to Indonesia. She emphasised she will continue to uphold her country's name by competing at the highest elite level of world tennis.

The Jakarta-born tennis player also conveyed her gratitude to Indonesian tennis fans for their unwavering support throughout her career, and promised to deliver her full best performance in every tournament.

"I will keep giving my absolute everything to make Indonesia proud on the world stage, and I hope I will receive the chance to represent my country once again in the future," Janice added.

Janice's absence is a significant loss for Indonesia's 2026 Asian Games contingent, particularly given her proven strong track record at multi-sport international events.