His father, Tan Kah Tek, worked in a carriage shop on Orchard Road while his mother, Lim Peng Tuan, owned a floral nursery.

[7][8] At just 17 years old, he made his senior debut in the 1934 Singapore Open and exceeded expectation by reaching the quarter-finals of the men's singles event.

[9] His exceptional performance during the tournament, characterised by his impressive speed and powerful gameplay, propelled him to prominence in the local badminton circuit.

[13] At his second Singapore Open, Tan continued to make a strong impression by advancing to the semi-finals of both the men's singles and doubles events.

[26] In 1940, Tan regained his best form to win his third Singapore Open men's singles crown[27] and paired up with Lee Shao Meng, another Marigold player, to secure the mixed doubles title[28] after falling short in the previous year.

[1] On 31 January 1941, he embarked on a journey to Chongqing, China, with the intention of joining the Chinese armed forces in their fight against the Japanese invaders.

[33] He then went to India for training and joined Force 136, a branch of the Allied Special Operations Executive, where he met and befriended Lim Bo Seng.

The team executed a covert landing at Tanjong Hantu and subsequently rendezvoused with a contingent of guerrillas affiliated with the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA).

Leveraging his background in art, Tan utilised his sketching skills to visually capture crucial information for the group's espionage operations.

[1] After the war, Tan participated in badminton tournaments again and continued to excel, reaching two more men's doubles finals with partners Ong Poh Lim and Kon Kong Min in the 1948 and 1952 Singapore Open respectively.

[4] In 1946, Tan married Lee Shao Meng, his teammate at Marigold Badminton Party, who he teamed up for various mixed doubles events.

[1][50][51] In 1947, Tan, along with 145 other Singaporeans, were each awarded with a certificate of commendation by the Governor of Singapore, Sir Franklin Gimson for their services to the community during the Malayan campaign, during the Japanese occupation and in the B.M.A period after the liberation.

[52][53] On 19 September 1995, Tan and eight other surviving members of Force 136 were each presented with a commemorative silver ingot to honour them for their resistance efforts.