It is a burden that would crush even the strongest of weightlifters, yet does not overwhelm this shuttler's slender frame.
She stands tall today because she once crumbled.
Her mind wanders to London's Wembley Arena in 2012, the site of her most devastating loss. That Olympic quarter-final collapse while one game up and five points from victory against China's Wang Xin left her with sleepless nights.
At 17, she wanted to quit. Now, she knows that loss put her on the path to winning.
"It would be too much burden for a normal 21-year-old, but not me," she said. "I'm strong enough to shoulder the expectations. I've experienced so much in my athletic life and they've made me strong both physically and mentally.
"People pin their hopes on me because they believe in me. I also believe in myself."
This belief has sustained Ratchanok in the pursuit of three goals. The first, to become world champion, has long been checked off the to-do list. The world No. 1 ranking is out of the way too. All that remains is standing on an Olympic podium.
She said: "I'm older now, I'm strong, and I've got more experience. It's not just others who have high hopes, I'm expecting something from myself too.
"I'm not afraid to say I want to win a medal because I'm confident that I can really do it."
For someone who never thought she would be a representative - much less a champion - each moment competing with the Thai flag on her chest is a proud one.
"It's like I'm fighting for everyone in my country," she said. "It's why I make the sacrifices, endure the tough training, because not everyone can be given this honourable duty. Thailand may not be famous in many sports but I can show that we can succeed if we work hard enough."
Her badminton journey began with expediency - to get that mobile phone, to buy that washing machine for her mother (as she did after the 2013 World Championships) - but the quest is now fuelled by something greater.
She said: "I was born the daughter of poor factory workers. All the opportunities I've had should not have been available to someone like me."
It is past 9pm as she gingerly walks out of the hall, another gruelling, physical day in the books. The hall will go dark and quiet again.
The next sound it hears will be the footsteps of the champion, walking to work in the early morning.