PETALING JAYA: Former world No. 1 Datuk Foo Kok Keong believes Lee Zii Jia needs support more than anything else as the professional men’s singles shuttler tries to find a way out of his current slump.
Kok Keong has offered to help Zii Jia, joining fellow badminton legend Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei, who had earlier extended a similar offer to the Paris Olympics bronze medallist.
Zii Jia’s form has become a growing concern after he suffered a shock second-round defeat to lower-ranked Taiwanese Wu Zhe-ying at the Vietnam Open on Wednesday (Sept 9).
The Super 100 tournament was supposed to provide Zii Jia with an opportunity to rebuild his confidence and rediscover his touch on court after a difficult period hampered by injuries last year.
Kok Keong, however, does not believe Zii Jia’s struggles are down to the training methods of his coach Liew Daren.
He pointed out that Daren is an experienced former international and feels Zii Jia may instead need someone he trusts to speak to about the problems he is facing.
“I can’t comment much on that matter (regarding Daren), but I think he needs someone he can talk to, perhaps Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei or even me, so that we can listen to him and offer advice on what might help,” said Kok Keong.
“It’s not about the training because training is the same. Perhaps there are weaknesses that we can identify and work on together.”
Chong Wei, who is also the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) performance committee chairman, had earlier said he was willing to welcome Zii Jia back into the national set-up if he needed help to return to his best.
Zii Jia left BAM four years ago, but the national body have yet to produce another men’s singles player capable of establishing himself among the world’s elite.
Despite that, Kok Keong does not believe the state of the national men’s singles department is as bad as some have made it out to be.
Instead, he feels the gap has narrowed because more countries are now producing top players, with France’s Alex Lanier among the latest to emerge as a world champion.
“I don’t think things are getting worse. It’s just that many other countries are improving,” he said.
“So it depends on the coaches and BAM management. I don’t want to say too much, but hopefully they can help these players improve their performances in the future.”
