PETALING JAYA: Men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong has already found a new training base as he prepares to begin his journey as an independent player next week by training alongside former national teammate Soong Joo Ven.
Joo Ven was Tze Yong's senior in the national team before leaving the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in 2020.
Former Asian Junior Championships silver medallist Joo Ven retired from competitive badminton in 2024.
"I'll be training with Soong Joo Ven," said Tze Yong after a training session at Akademi Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara on Friday (June 26).
Tze Yong will officially leave the national team on June 30 by mutual agreement with BAM.
After months of battling an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, Tze Yong decided the time was right to embark on a new chapter as an independent player.
Before setting his sights on a return to the international circuit, however, Tze Yong said his priority is to make a full recovery first.
"Right now, my main focus is on recovering. I'm still training, but the intensity is only around 40%to 50% I've already found a place to train.
"Of course, if I had a choice, I'd want to return as soon as possible. But I need to respect my body. I can't ignore any signals it's giving me.
" just have to keep training, and as long as I'm continuing to make progress, I'm happy to take it one step at a time," he said.
