The pits before the peak

Zii Jia: ‘After Thailand, my mind just went blank and all I wanted was to be alone. I cut myself off from everyone.’

PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia has revealed that he nearly fell into depression before getting back on his feet to be crowned the All-England champion.

Zii Jia, who’s turning 23 next Monday, recounted how the mounting pressure over his miserable outing at the Asian leg in Bangkok two months ago was so unbearable that it had forced him into isolation.