Greysia Polii (; born 11 August 1987) is an Indonesian badminton player specializing in doubles. She won gold medals in the women's doubles at the 2014 Asian Games, at the 2019 SEA Games and at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also won three bronze medals at the World Championships in 2015, 2018, and 2019. Polii is a member of BWF Athletes' Commission to represent the needs and views of athletes to the BWF council and committees from 2013 to 2017 and 2021 to 2025.
Having started her career at the Jaya Raya in Jakarta, she later was selected to join the national team in 2003. Polii represented her country in the 2012, 2016 and at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also featured in the Indonesian women's winning team at the 2007 SEA Games. She reached a career high of world number 2 in the BWF women's doubles rankings alongside Nitya Krishinda Maheswari.
Polii's achievements began when she was paired with Jo Novita, winning a Grand Prix title, two silver medals at the SEA Games in 2005 and 2007, and a bronze in the 2005 Asian Championships. Together with Maheswari, she collected 2 Superseries titles, 3 Grand Prix titles, a gold at the 2014 Asian Games, a silver at the 2013 SEA Games, and bronze medals at the 2015 World and 2016 Asian Championships. She made a new partnership with the youngster Apriyani Rahayu in 2017. Together with Rahayu, she won her first women's doubles gold at the SEA Games in 2019, her first title on home soil at the 2020 Indonesia Masters, and Indonesia's first ever women's doubles gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Early life Greysia Polii was born in Jakarta to Willy Polii and Evie Pakasi, both of Minahasa descent native to North Sulawesi. She is the third of five siblings. She lived in Jakarta until her dad died when she was only 2, and moved to Manado, where she spent her childhood. She was influenced to play badminton by her sister, and by former national player Deyana Lomban. She also idolized Susi Susanti and Zhang Ning. Her talent was already apparent by the time she was six years old. Recognizing her talent, she and her mother moved back to Jakarta in 1995 for better training and a chance to develop her career as a badminton player. Polii decided to join the Jaya Raya Jakarta club.
At the club, her coach Retno Kustijah noticed her talent as a doubles player, and thus, when Polii was 14, she made the decision to switch from singles to doubles. She made it to the national team in 2003.
Polii's given name, Greysia, was created by combining the word "grey," referencing her father's grey hair at the time of her birth, with the last syllable of "Indonesia."
Her late older brother was named Rickettsia Polii, presumably inspired by the genus of bacteria Rickettsia. Combined with the surname Polii, the full name bears resemblance to a scientific Latin binomial name.
Career
2003–2005: Early career and National Championships title Starting her career as a women's and mixed doubles player, Polii began to show her abilities at the age of 16. Partnered with Heni Budiman, she reached the semi-final stage in the 2003's Malaysia Satellite tournament. As a national team player, she won her first National Championships title with Budiman. The duo defeated East Kalimantan pair Indarti Issolina and Angeline de Pauw 8–15, 15–8, 15–7.
In 2004, Polii helped the national junior team win the girls' team bronze at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships and mixed team bronze at the World Junior Championships. She also claimed the World Junior silver in the mixed doubles with Muhammad Rijal, and the bronze medal in the girls' doubles with Budiman. She made her debut with the national team at the Uber Cup in 2004, where the team made the quarter-finals. Her best achievements in individual events during the year were reaching the quarter-finals at the Chinese Taipei Open and the Malaysia Open.
In 2005, Polii won bronze medals at the Asian Junior Championships in the girls' team and doubles (with Heni Budiman). In March, she and Budiman finished as the semi-finalists in the Swiss Open. Due to the hip injury suffered by Budiman at the Swiss Open, Polii made a new partnership with her senior Jo Novita in the beginning of 2005, and the duo won the bronze at the Asian Championships, as well as silver at the SEA Games. At the World Grand Prix event, the Polii-Novita partnership were semi-finalists at the Singapore and Hong Kong Open. Polii helped Indonesia reach the final stage of the Sudirman Cup, but the team lost 0–3 to China.
2006–2008: World Grand Prix title In 2006, Polii began her season competing at the All England Open. Together with Jo Novita, she lost in the second round to the third seeds from China, Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen, in straight games. In May, Polii won her first IBF World Grand Prix title at the 2006 Philippines Open partnered with Novita. In the final they beat their compatriots Endang Nursugianti and Rani Mundiasti in straight games 21–16, 21–13. She also paired with Muhammad Rijal in the mixed doubles, losing in the semi-finals to the eventual champions from Thailand, Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam. At the Indonesia Open held in Surabaya, Polii's run was ended by a partnership featuring Zhao Tingting in both the women's and mixed doubles. In June, Polii reached the semi-finals in the mixed doubles and quarter-finals in the women's doubles at the Singapore Open. On the East Asian tour held in July–August, her best achievement was being a finalist at the Korea Open - she and Novita were defeated by Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen by a score of 10–21, 11–21. Together with Novita, she qualified to compete at the World Championships held in Madrid. The duo were defeated in the third round to first seeds and eventual champions from China Gao Ling and Huang Sui. Ranked as world number 10 in the women's doubles with Novita, Polii was ousted in the second round of the Japan Open both in the women's and mixed doubles. In the mixed doubles with Rijal, they lost to two-times Olympic champion Zhang Jun and Gao Ling in a rubber game 16–21, 22–20, 7–21. In November, the second seeded Polii-Novita reached the semi-finals of the Denmark Open before being defeated by Polish pair Kamila Augustyn and Nadieżda Kostiuczyk in a close rubber game 13–21, 21–19, 19–21. In December, she represented her country at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, but failed to contribute any points to the team, where Indonesia women's team fell in the repechage to the semi-finals stage. Due to an injury suffered by Novita during the matches against Malaysia in the group stage, Polii was paired with Pia Zebadiah Bernadet in the individual event, but they were upset in the second round by Japanese pair Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna. She ended the 2006 season standing as world number 9 in the women's doubles.
Polii opened the 2007 season by playing at the Malaysia Open with new partner Vita Marissa. The duo advanced to the final, but were unable to defeat the three times World Champion Gao Ling and Huang Sui, although they forced the Chinese pair to play a deciding game. Seeing that this new couple had good prospects, the women's doubles coach Aryono Miranat continued their partnership. In the following tournaments, although they did not win a title, the pair managed to become semi-finalists at the Swiss Open and quarter-finalists at the All England and Singapore Open. In Switzerland, Polii also finished as the finalist in the mixed doubles with Muhammad Rijal. In June, she helped Indonesia finish second to China in the Sudirman Cup. In July, after Jo Novita recovered from an injury, the duo teamed up again and participated in the Thailand Open, China Masters, and Philippines Open. Their best results were when she and Novita reached the semi-finals in the Philippines. In the quarter-finals, they were able to beat the third seeds from China, Yang Wei and Zhao Tingting, in two close games 25–23, 24–22.
In August, Polii played at the World Championships in the women's and mixed doubles. In the second round of the women's doubles, she had to retire from the tournament due to an injury to her right knee ligament. On the European tour in October–November, her best result was a semi-final appearance in the French Open. At the National Championships held in Solo, teamed up with Novita, Polii successfully defended the title she won two years ago with Heni Budiman. In December, she featured in the Indonesian women's winning team at the SEA Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, and won her second women's doubles silver at the Games.
In the first half of the 2008 season, together with her partners Jo Novita and Muhammad Rijal, Polii did not have satisfactory results, as her best achievements were being a women's doubles quarter-finalist in the German, All England, Indonesia, and Asian Championships. She was also a mixed doubles quarter-finalist in Korea, Germany, and India. In May, Polii helped Indonesia reach the final of the Uber Cup held in Jakarta, where the team finished as the runner-up. Polii later teamed up with Nitya Krishinda Maheswari in the women's doubles and with Flandy Limpele in the mixed doubles. Her best results with her new partner was as a women's doubles semi-finalist in the Denmark Open, defeating the 7th seeds Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei in the second round, and finishing as a mixed doubles quarter-finalist in the Japan Open and China Masters. Despite not being paired-up with Novita in the remaining 2008 tournaments, they were qualified to compete at the inaugural Superseries Masters Finals held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The duo reached the semi-finals, where they were defeated by their compatriots Liliyana Natsir and Vita Marissa in straight games 19–21, 17–21.
2009–2012: National Championships double crowned, Olympic Games black card In 2009, Polii focused on one discipline, playing only in the women's doubles with Nitya Krishinda Maheswari. Even though she fell in the early stages of two Europe tour events, the All England and Swiss Open, she reached the finals of Singapore Open. She and her partner beat the world number one Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty from Malaysia in the quarter-finals, followed by ninth-placed Lena Frier Kristiansen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl from Denmark in the semi-finals. In May, she was part of the Indonesia team who finished as semi-finalists in Sudirman Cup held in Guangzhou. Polii and Maheswari played at the World Championships in Hyderabad, India, as 13th seeds. Their journey at the championships stopped in the third round with defeat to the 2008 Olympic gold medalists, the 5th seeded Du Jing and Yu Yang in straight games 20–22, 12–21. She later managed to reach the semi-finals in the Japan and French Open, but was beaten by Chinese pair Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli in both tournaments. In December, Polii participated at the SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos. She won the silver medal in the women's team, and as second seeds in the individual women's doubles event, she and Maheswari had a bye in the first round, but their progress was stopped by young Thai pair Savitree Amitrapai and Vacharaporn Munkit in the quarter-finals. As a pair with Maheswari, she spent time inside the top 10 of the BWF rankings.