PETALING JAYA: There’s a possibility for men’s singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong (pic) to make his competitive return in the Malaysian Open next year from Jan 7-12 in Bukit Jalil.
Tze Yong had suffered a lower back injury in the first round of the home Open this year, which has kept him out from tournaments almost the entire year.
After undergoing two surgeries, the 24-year-old has been slowly regaining his fitness and could make a comeback in the same tournament.
Men’s singles coach K. Yogendran though believed that Tze Yong will need time to get back to his old form even if he could compete again at home.
“It’s possible that Tze Yong can return in the Malaysian Open but even if he plays, he will not be back to 100 per cent of his old form,” said Yogendran after overseeing a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
“We can’t expect him to reach the semi-final or final. That will take a longer time. Our aim is to help him to regain his best form in the European tournaments in March.”
The All-England will be the most important tournament in March while World Tour Super 300 competitions like the Orleans Masters, Swiss Open and Spain Masters will also be held in that month.
Tze Yong is working hard to regain his full fitness as soon as possible as he needs to return to tournaments before his ranking protection ends at the end of April.
His long absence from competitions has seen his rankings plummet to No. 68 but he still has a protected ranking of No. 18.
Despite the time limit, Yogendran stressed that Tze Yong will not be rushed back to compete.
“He knows the time limit and we know it but we don’t want to rush him. For the past one month, he has been improving day by day and slowly regaining his confidence,” said Yogendran.
“He is still not back to full training yet but he can train in the morning for one and a half hour.
“Then he goes for rehab and works in the gym in the evenings.
“I see his desire and his mental strength. He really wants to come back. His ranking will be protected for a year and of course, he won’t want to start from International Series level if he takes too long to come back.
Yogendran then added that Tze Yong has the full support of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) despite his long absence from competitions.
“As coaches and the management, we support players. Tze Yong has done so much for Malaysia,” said Yogendran.
“Our ultimate goal is to get these players ready for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. So, there’s no point in forcing him to come back fast.
“The process needs to be step by step, so that he enjoys badminton again.”
