PETALING JAYA: From leading men to supporting roles, Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting (pic) and Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia now seek redemption in Horsens.
World No. 46 Anthony, who has been familiar with playing either first or second pick for Indonesia, is the country’s fourth highest ranked player, behind Jonatan Christie (No. 5), Alwi Farhan (No. 14), and Mohd Zaki Ubaidillah (No. 39).
Anthony’s rankings took a tumble after being plagued by injury issues last year, leaving him out of action for roughly six months, but has since tried to find his footing again this year.
The 29-year-old, who has only competed at three tournaments this year, admitted that the chances of him being fielded remain in doubt, but is ready if his services are required.
“My condition now is really great and I don’t have any injuries at all,” said Anthony in an interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“I need to maintain my body well, even better than I did before. But for the Thomas Cup, I’m feeling very good.
“The preparation has been mainly mental. But you shouldn’t overthink. We need to prepare for the worst case, too.”
Denmark has been a happy hunting ground for the Indonesian team, having won the 2020 edition in Aarhus, but this time they have a tough start as they are in Group D with France, Thailand, and Algeria.
Meanwhile, world No. 82 Zii Jia is also feeling unfamiliar as Malaysia’s third singles player in Horsens.
The 28-year-old Zii Jia is in line to play for Malaysia after national No. 1 and world No. 25 Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh (No. 44), and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin (No. 51).
“This is the first time I will be playing third singles for the Malaysian team. So it’s a totally different situation for me,” said Zii Jia.
“Before this I had played second singles during my debut at the 2018 edition in Bangkok.”
