PETALING JAYA: Any other player might have gone into hiding after being called out for indiscipline, but not national No. 1 singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao.
The 27-year-old fronted up at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil as the national team tested the courts on the eve of the Malaysian Masters.
Jun Hao admitted the claim made by Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) performance committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei that he had missed training sessions at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara previously.
However, he denied intentionally skipping training, saying there were personal reasons behind his absence, although he declined to elaborate further.
“At that time, I did miss training because there were reasons for it. For now, I do not really want to comment much on this matter,” he said.
In fact, he has promised to keep his focus on the Malaysian Masters despite the controversy surrounding him.
Jun Hao will face one of these qualifiers – Malaysia’s Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, China’s Hu Zhean or Taiwan’s Su Li-yang – in the first round.
If he wins the opener, he will face the winners of the match between Alex Lanier of France and Kiran George of India.
“At this tournament, my focus is still on giving my best. As for that issue (the disciplinary matter), I just want to focus on the tournament.
“I feel that is already in the past. For now, I do not have anything to say about it,” said Jun Hao.
Jun Hao is now facing added pressure after his disappointing outing in the Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark, where he lost all three of his matches despite playing as Malaysia’s first singles.
The situation worsened after Chong Wei claimed that Jun Hao had frequently skipped training sessions and was not fully focused during training.
Previously, BAM president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz warned that players who continue to breach team rules despite being given warnings risk being suspended from tournaments.
The other men’s singles in the main draw are Justin Hoh, who will take on Anthony Ginting of Indonesia in the first round.
