Standing 1.97m, Zhao Ruirui is probably the tallest Chinese women's volleyball player of the past decade. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2003 World Cup and a member of the championship team, Zhao enjoys great popularity among fans at home and abroad.

Off the court, she is quiet and gentle, a good cartoon painter and a master of cross-stitch.

However, the 28-year-old remains single while most of her former teammates in the national squad have found romance and some are even expecting babies.

Her height, plus star status, has apparently become a barrier to a serious relationship.

"Being so tall is only good for me on the volleyball court. The newspapers are always keen about love affairs in sports but they never write about me because I'm too tall for most of the guys," she said. "I don't like immature boys but the guys of my age or older are not available."

The volleyball star's plight is shared by Zheng Haixia, the former WNBA player and probably the most famous Chinese women's basketballer of all-time.

Zheng is even taller than Zhao. At 2.04m, the 42-year-old once had a two-year relationship in the early 1990s but has been single since.

"I admit it (finding a boyfriend) is harder for me than other girls. It takes great courage to marry a well-known and tall girl like me," Zheng told China Daily in her spacious duplex apartment in Beijing.

"Wherever a man takes me - to his relatives, his friends or a public place - a lot of people judge us and that puts huge pressure on him."

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