PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles coach James Chua has urged Justin Hoh to not rush his return to competitions after an injury-plagued year.
Justin has suffered one issue after another since rupturing his left Achilles tendon last April.
The promising 19-year-old made his return to competitions after eight months but injured his right foot and knee.
Justin is currently stepping up his recovery from the knee issue but James wants his charge to stay patient.
“Justin is a very hardworking player, who wants to perform well but he is too eager to produce good results too soon.
“As a result, he overlooked his physical conditioning,” said James.
“I told him that he needs to do well off court too, not just on court.
“He injured himself again and again because he rushed a bit to come back.
“He has almost recovered now but he needs to give himself a bit more time to return to competitions,” added James.
James’ caution is understandable with Justin’s teammate and national No. 1 Ng Tze Yong facing the prospect of missing out on the Paris Olympics after undergoing surgery for a back injury on Thursday.
Tze Yong was on the right track to book his ticket to Paris at the end of last year but tore his muscle in his lower back in the Malaysian Open in January.
The 23-year-old made his return in the Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam last month but suffered another injury in his spinal disc.
Tze Yong was forced to go under the knife and is now battling to save his Olympic dream.
While the world No. 16 recuperates from the surgery, James and the other coaches will focus on the likes of Leong Jun Hao, Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin and reigning national Under-21 champion Eogene Ewe.
Jun Hao, who is the national No. 2 and ranked No. 36 in the world will next compete in the Swiss Open from March 19-24 in Basel.
