Malaysia men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia in action against Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long during the semi-final match of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Saturday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: With the men’s singles camp struggling to find form, the Badminton Association of Malaysia have little choice but to keep former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia in their plans for next year’s Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark.
Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei, chairman of BAM’s performance committee who chaired a meeting with the coaching team to prepare for the upcoming team championship yesterday, acknowledged that the men’s singles squad are currently struggling - particularly national No. 1 player Leong Jun Hao.
This has slightly disrupted the association’s plan, which had initially set a target of winning next year’s Thomas Cup in an effort to end the nation’s 34-year title drought.
As a result, they have no choice but to keep Zii Jia in their plans to strengthen the team, even though he is still in the process of recovering from injury.
“We have no choice. We will send what we have for the Thomas Cup. There are six months before the tournament begins, and we will invite independent players to join in the preparations with the national squad,” said Chong Wei when met at the Academy Badminton of Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
“Kenneth Jonassen will manage the singles squad, while Rexy Mainaky will handle the doubles. I know our singles line-up is a bit weak, but we have Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh, Aidil Sholeh and Eogene Ewe, who will be competing at the SEA Games, and I expect a similar line-up for the Thomas Cup.
“And we will add Lee Zii Jia. We are still unsure about his recovery process and are currently waiting for confirmation from his team, Team LZJ. But with six months to go before the tournament, we hope he can recover fully. We will also monitor the players’ rankings so the coaching team can plan and prepare accordingly.''
2025 has been a challenging year for Zii Jia, who managed to compete in just five tournaments.
The Paris Olympics bronze medallist began the year struggling with an ankle injury, returning briefly in March for the Orleans Masters and the All England before the injury worsened, requiring further treatment.
After a five-month layoff, he made a comeback at the World Championships, followed by the Hong Kong Open and China Masters, but all three ended in first-round exits.
The disappointment deepened when he was forced to cut his 2025 season short after suffering a back injury.
At the same time, Chong Wei also revealed that there is a possibility of sending the national squad to Denmark a few weeks earlier for a centralised training camp and to help the players adapt to the conditions.
The last time Malaysia won the Thomas Cup was in 1992 in Kuala Lumpur, and since then the national squad have been unable to reclaim the prestigious team title.
In the 2024 edition held in Chengdu, the team fell 3-1 to China in the semi-finals, settling for a bronze medal alongside the other semi-finalists Taiwan.
