KUALA LUMPUR: National singles shuttler Tze Yong is happy to be playing in front of the home fans again after coming close to giving up on the sport.
He will be making his first appearance at home after a year when he takes on Hong Kong’s world No. 21 Angus Ng Ka Long in the first round of the Malaysian Masters on Wednesday (May 21) at Axiata Arena in Bukit.
It was at the same venue last year when suffered the back injury in the Malaysian Open first round against Japan’s Koki Watanabe that saw him going through two surgeries and rehab for almost a year.
"It was a very difficult time for me last year as I was struggling to recover from my back injury," said Tze Yong.
"Playing badminton is my passion but there were times when I thought my career was over.
"After two surgeries, the injury still did not heal and I was feeling confused.
"After undergoing rehab for a year, I slowly recovered and could compete again. It feels good to get to play at home again after quite long."
Tze Yong was forced to miss last year’s Malaysian Masters and the home Open in January due to his injury.
He shared that singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen’s support helped him with his recovery and return to tournaments.
Jonassen joined the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in January.
"The coach trusts me a lot. When I was injured, he gave me lots of support," said Tze Yong.
"He helped to ease the pressure on me and thanks to him, I could focus on my rehab without worrying too much about my future."
Tze Yong made his competitive return at the Asian Championships last month in Ningbo, China and also played in the Taiwan and Thailand Opens.
He lost in the first round in the three events and is hoping to get his first win to revive his career.
"I’m not feeling any pain anymore and my movement on court is getting better, so this is a positive for me although I lost all my matches so far," said Tze Yong.
"For now, I’m looking at progressing in each match rather than only the results.
"I feel if I can win one match, it will boost my confidence and I can regain my old form faster.
"Against Angus, I’m the underdog but I will go all out to try to win."
Meanwhile, Tze Yong’s teammates Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh will also open their respective campaigns today against Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen and Japan’s Kodai Naraoka respectively.
