Tough call: Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia has a challenging road ahead in the new season. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: Former international Ong Ewe Hock insists it is still early for Lee Zii Jia to walk away from badminton, despite the star shuttler’s worrying run of injuries and an early end to his season.
The 27-year-old has withdrawn from the Syed Modi India International from Nov 25–30, closing the curtain on a miserable, stop-start year.
His decision has fueled whispers about retirement, but Ewe Hock believes Zii Jia still has plenty to fight for.
Zii Jia has been hampered by a back injury he suffered during his last outing at the China Masters in September.
Before that, the independent player also struggled to regain his form after suffering an ankle ligament injury in the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou last December.
Despite his tough year and the uncertainties surrounding his true condition, Ewe Hock believes Zii Jia can still prolong his career.
“It’s difficult for me to comment much on Zii Jia’s situation as only he and his management team know the extent of his injury,” said Ewe Hock.
Team LZJ had said after the China Masters that Zii Jia was suffering from persistent lower back pain but did not give any details about his injury. In fact, Zii Jia also confessed that he was struggling from mental health.
Team LZJ have remained mum about his latest condition and his recovery period – making it hard to assess the extent of the injury.
Added Ewe Hock: “Injuries are part of an athlete’s life. All players get injured. It only depends how serious the issues are.
“It may be still early for Zii Jia to give up on playing badminton but only he and his team can assess his condition. If he feels he is still able to fight on, then of course he should continue playing.
“Only if he feels his injury is too serious and he can no longer cope with the intensity of the game, then he should consider retiring,” added Ewe Hock.
Ewe Hock though urged Zii Jia not to rush his comeback and make sure he is fully fit before returning to competitions.
“It’s tough for Zii Jia as he needs to answer to his sponsors too as an independent player,” said Ewe Hock.
“Even when he recovers and returns to compete again, he will not be able to regain his form very quickly. It will take time and this is normal.
“But it’s best for him to recover fully first before coming back to play. There’s no point in rushing his return as this will only increase his risk of aggravating his injury and all his efforts will be wasted.”
Zii Jia has dropped to No. 63 in the latest world rankings due to his long absence from tournaments but does have a protected ranking of No. 9 which gives him access to top tier competitions when he is able to return to action.
The year-long ranking protection though will expire in March next year and the 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medallist will have to rebuild his career by playing in lower tier tournaments if he does not return to compete before that.
With his season over, Zii Jia will next be hoping to recover fully in time for the 2026 season curtain raiser - the Malaysian Open from Jan 6-11 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
