PETALING JAYA: Nothing matters more than health.
As Pearly Tan races against time to recover from injury ahead of the Japan Open from July 14-19, her women's doubles partner M. Thinaah has one message for her – do not rush back before you are ready.
Pearly was still training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) on Tuesday, although she had to hit shuttlecocks while seated on a chair.
It has raised concerns over whether she will be fit in time for the Japan Open, which is now less than two weeks away.
Speaking during the Yonex new launch event in Shanghai a few days ago, Thinaah said Pearly is still undergoing rehabilitation and stressed that she has not put any pressure on her partner to make a quick return.
"She is still in recovery. We continue to support and encourage each other.
"I've never told her that she needs to come back quickly or anything like that. I just want her to focus on her recovery first.
"But we are very excited to play in our next tournaments," Thinaah told Badminton Magazine.
Instead, Thinaah has reminded Pearly that her health should always come first while continuing to give her the support she needs during her recovery.
"She is a hardworking player and I always tell her that health comes first before anything else. At this time, support is the most important thing I can give her," she added.
Pearly had earlier been sidelined by a back injury, forcing her to miss the Uber Cup Finals in Horsens in April.
She also skipped the Malaysian Masters in May but recovered in time to compete in both the Singapore Open and Indonesian Open.
Pearly-Thinaah were runners-up at last year's Japan Open after losing to China's Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning in the final.
Meanwhile, when contacted, national doubles coaching director, Rexy Mainaky explained that Pearly had been experiencing slight discomfort in her ankle, which was why she was asked to continue training while seated.
"I deliberately asked her to sit down and only work on her upper body because she was feeling a bit of discomfort in her ankle," said Rexy.
