QINGDAO, Shandong province - There`s nothing particularly unusual about seeing siblings playing sport at the highest level, but a mother-and-son team is another matter.

At the Sudirman Cup World Badminton Mixed Team Championships in Qingdao, Shandong province, Misha Zilberman, 21, and his mother, Svetlana Zilberman, 45, are representing for Israel and have stolen the show from sport`s `A-list` celebrities.

Despite losing two of their three mixed double matches in Group D, the lowest-level classification of the tournament, the Zilbermans won the biggest applause from the crowds and have drawn heavy attention from the media.

"It is nice. It is good. Badminton, for us, is our life," the mother said of the public`s interest in the combination, which also competed at the 2009 World Championships and notched a win. "But, basically, we play the mixed doubles for fun."

They have been playing together since Misha was four, which was when the boy picked up a racquet, but it was not until six years ago that they first teamed up in a formal competition.

"My partner at that time was out of the sport and couldn`t play with me anymore, so Misha and I started to play together," Svetlana, who is also the coach of the Israeli team, told China Daily. "He was 15 and it was the Israel national championship. And we won the gold medal."

The victory didn`t come as a surprise to Misha.

"We knew we would win. I think we are close and we understand each other. So it is easier for us to play together," said Misha, who admits the natural bond helps them a lot on the court, while stressing it is more teammates than mother and son when in action.

"We are partners. I don`t think she is my coach or family when we play. If I find something wrong, I tell her, if she finds anything wrong she tells me, you know, that`s partners."

"On the court, there is only badminton, but after the match, we go home and we are normal people; sometimes we talk about badminton but usually not."

Misha is also the country`s No 1 men`s singles player and his target is to make his Olympic debut in London next year.

"For the Olympics, I have to qualify first. It means I have to play better and better. I don`t think of it all the time, but, of course, I want to play at the Olympics," said Misha, the world No 76. "Also, within the next few years, I hope to break into the top 50."

As for Svetlana, the women`s singles bronze medalist at the 1986 European Championships, playing competitively now is just out of an enduring passion for the sport and she has not yet seen the end in sight.

"I like badminton, I like playing. I don`t know when I will stop because I want to play," she said.