Chong Wei may get a break, thanks to injury

KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei’s participation in all international tournaments until the end of the year is now on hold after an old injury returned to haunt him.

The 31-year-old Chong Wei is slated to participate in the China Open starting on Wednesday in Shanghai, followed by the Hong Kong Open from Nov 19-24. He is also expected to take part in the BWF’s World Super Series Finals in Kuala Lumpur from Dec 10-15.

The pain on his ankle is causing Chong Wei discomfort.

“I feel the throbbing pain in the same ankle area which I injured during the Thomas Cup Finals (in Wuhan) last year. It is affecting me during training,” said Chong Wei.

“It has been a hectic year for me and I think I am finally feeling the pinch. Maybe I have pushed myself too hard and this may have put a lot of strain on my ankle.”

Chong Wei suffered an ankle injury during the Finals in Wuhan during the tie against Denmark when he landed awkwardly in a match against Peter-Gade Christensen.

It took him 65 days to recover from it, thanks to an amazing rehabilitation programme closely monitored by the National Sports Institute (NSI). He made a remarkable comeback at the London Olympic Games where he went down fighting to Lin Dan of China in the final.

Chong Wei said he would discuss his participation in the last three tournaments for the year with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).

“I am not sure now whether I will be able to compete in these tournaments. First of all, I need to look into this pain on my ankle and see whether it can be managed in the next two days,” he said.

He was scheduled to fly to Shanghai on Monday for the China Open.

The two-time Olympic Games silver medallist has recently been lamenting his tight schedule, saying he needed a break. He wanted to rest and come back refreshed and recharged for the new season next year so that he could focus on several major tournaments – namely the Thomas Cup Finals, Asian Games and World Championships.

For the record, Chong Wei has played in a total of 11 tournaments this year and won five Super Series titles in South Korea, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Japan. He has also competed in three leagues – in Indonesia, India and China.

He played in two major events – World Championships in Guangzhou and the Sudirman Cup in Kuala Lumpur. At the world meet, he went down to Lin Dan in the final while in the Sudirman Cup, he won all his matches but Malaysia failed to go beyond the group stage.