PETALING JAYA: Be proud of your progress over the last two months in training and enjoy your comeback to competitive badminton.
This is the message sent by singles head coach Kenneth Jonassen to shuttler Ng Tze Yong, who will be making his long awaited comeback to tournaments - after two back surgeries - in the Asian Championships starting today in Ningbo, China.
Tze Yong, who turns 25 next month, last played in the Asia Team Championships in February last year and has had to manage his recovery carefully before being passed fit for the Asian meet.
He has a tough opening match though against Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Jonassen’s advice is simple.
“My expectations for Tze Yong are quite simple this time around. I want him to enjoy his comeback to competitive badminton,” said Jonassen.
“I also want him to see where he stands after each match and be proud of the progress he has made over the last two months
“He needs to... accept that there will be new challenges that lie ahead.”
After the Asian tournament, Tze Yong, who has a protected world ranking of No. 18, will also make his return to the World Tour in the back-to-back Taiwan Open (May 6-11) and Thailand Open (May 13-18).
His last World Tour appearance was in the Malaysian Open in January 2024 where he initially injured his back in his opening match against Japan’s Koki Watanabe.
Meanwhile, Malaysia will also be represented by debutants Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh in the men’s singles in the Asian meet.
World No. 26 Jun Hao will take on Taiwan’s world No. 13 Lin Chun-yi in the first round while Justin will start from the qualifying rounds.
In the women’s singles, Goh Jin Wei, K. Letshanaa and Wong Ling Ching will be in action for the country.
Jin Wei will open her campaign against Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun while Letshanaa and Ling Ching will need to get past the qualifying rounds first.
