In 2008 he was the 2nd youngest men's singles player to qualify for the 2008 Olympics according to the Badminton World Federation criteria.
In 2013, Tan was elected as a member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Athletes' Commission.
In June 2015, he competed at the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, before being eliminated at the quarter-finals.
[4][5] In 2017 Tan became the chairman of the Belgian Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission.
Tan's father is Chinese Indonesian, while his mother, Maria Meyers, is Belgian (Flemish).