Ng Tze Yong
PETALING JAYA: It's normal to feel anxious to play in a competitive tournament after a long break. And that's exactly what men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong is feeling.
The 24-year-old Tze Yong did not hide his emotion as he spoke about his expectations on his comeback appearance in the Asian Championships from April 8-13 in Ningbo, China.
It will be his first tournament in 13 months, having last competed at the Asia Team Championships in February last year, due to back injury.
He suffered the injury at the Malaysian Open in January and it recurred at the Asia meet. He had to go through surgery and it had taken him months to even get back on court.
While excited to make a comeback, Tze Yong is also being cautious.
"I feel like I’m ready at around 80-90% in terms of preparation, but I will still continue to monitor my form in training with my coach (Kenneth Jonassen)," said Tze Yong after his training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) yesterday.
"I hope to get my feel of playing in a tournament back, but I don’t know how to set targets yet," he said.
"I've never taken such a long break from playing in a tournament.
Tze Yong's only wish is to avoid another injury.
"The most important thing is to stay away from injury."
Although his training has intensified, Tze Yong acknowledges the gap between practice and actual matches.
"Training is okay, but training and tournaments are very different. Maybe after one tournament, I’ll be able to gauge my game better."
Tze Yong, who holds a protected ranking of world No. 18, will face a tough opening match against Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the Asian meet.
It will be a challenging return for Tze Yong as Kunlavut is known for his clever player and he is also the Paris Olympic Games silver medallist.
Tze Yong has played once against Kunlavut in the 2023 Singapore Open second round but he lost to the world No. 5.
His future tournaments will depend on his form at the Asian meet.
"I will play on if I don't get injured anymore. I still have to discuss with my coach," he added.
