PETALING JAYA: Injury recovery and regaining confidence will be the main focus for Lee Zii Jia when he begins training for the Thomas Cup next week.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) performance committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei said these matters will be among national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen, men’s singles head coach Datuk Tey Seu Bock and Zii Jia’s personal coach Liew Daren to help the player regain top form ahead of the tournament in Horsens, Denmark, which begins on April 24.
Zii Jia is expected to join the national squad training on April 1 alongside other independent players who have already reported, including Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, as well as women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei, who will assist the Uber Cup squad.
Chong Wei has personally reached out to National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Dr P. Vellapandian to ensure the national badminton squad, not just Zii Jia but all players in the Thomas Cup team, receive the best treatment to keep them injury-free.
“Regarding his injury, I do not want to push him because he has his own medical team, but we will see what BAM can assist with,” said Chong Wei.
“I have spoken to Dr Vellapandian. Whether we win or lose, we can put that aside for now. I want all the players going to the Thomas Cup to be free from injuries and to enjoy their matches.”
Zii Jia had raised concerns when he withdrew from the German Open at the end of February, but he returned to competition at the Swiss Open and Orleans Masters.
However, the 28-year-old did not progress far, exiting in the first round of the Swiss Open before bowing out in the qualifying rounds of the Orleans Masters.
As such, Chong Wei has left it to Jonassen and Seu Bock to work with Daren in preparing a training programme aimed at restoring his confidence before the team event begins.
“For the training programme, Daren will discuss with Jonassen and Seu Bock, and the three coaches will work together. We will try to help him with sparring sessions in training alongside Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh.
“In several recent tournaments, including the Orleans Masters, he did not perform well. As I said, this is related to confidence, and that is one of the areas we are trying to help him with. We hope that training with us will benefit him,” added Chong Wei.
