Their World Championships journey may have come to an end at the semi-final stage but Chris and Gabby Adcock insist taking their place on the podium on Sunday will be one of the proudest moments of their careers.
Facing Chinese pair Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen, the Adcocks were defeated 21-15 23-21 but will still leave Glasgow’s Emirates Arena with a bronze medal hanging around their necks.
The Adcocks struggled to match their opponents’ pace in the first game, Zheng and Chen controlling proceedings from the very start to take the early advantage with relative ease.
The second game, however, was a much tighter affair, the Adcocks battling neck-and-neck for every point before drawing level with Zheng and Chen at 20-20.
They saved three match points as they desperately tried to send the match into a decider, but in the end their opponents prevailed, and will face Olympic champions Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir in the final.
“We really didn’t bring a good level, especially in the first set. It’s frustrating because we’ve been playing well all week,” said Gabby.
“We didn’t bring our level and we didn’t bring our style, we were more worrying about what they were going to bring to us.
“In the second set we turned that around, we decided to concentrate on ourselves and dictate. It showed and we really got into the game a lot more.
“We’ve got lots to learn, we’re disappointed, but we want to do more and we want to do better.
“We just want to do better and want to be world champions, but standing on that podium on Sunday, I’m sure I’ll feel super proud and it’s hopefully a step in the right direction.”
Despite their disappointment in defeat, the Adcocks can leave Glasgow with their heads held high, continuing their remarkable form that has also seen them crowned European champions.
And they insist there is still plenty more to come as they continue their rapid rise up the world rankings.
“We still have to give the Chinese credit, they came out and were solid throughout,” added Chris.
“I felt like we could have gone at them a little bit more, which was frustrating because we have shown in patches that when we go at them, we have a good chance.
“We’ll debrief and hopefully get over this disappointment, and we’ll have a nice chunk of metal around our necks.
“We always want more, and everyone knows that, and we believe that we will.
“I’m super proud of Gabs, super proud of us and what we’ve achieved this week, but it never feels good ending on a loss.” Sportsbeat 2017