PETALING JAYA: Fear is keeping men’s singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong (pic) away from the court.
National coaching director Rexy Mainaky said the 24-year-old Tze Yong has been back to training but the trauma from his double back injury suffered last year is holding him back from competing.
Tze Yong has gone through two operations since the start of the year after suffering from a back injury he sustained during last year’s Malaysian Open.
“We can see that Tze Yong has recovered but is still traumatised from his back injury. Anytime he feels any pain, he assumes it’s stemming from the injury,” said Rexy at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) yesterday.
“The trauma from his previous injury hasn’t gone away from his mind and that’s something that we need to focus on for Tze Yong.
“According to coach K. Yogendran, who accompanies Tze Yong during training, he is physically fine.
“Even the doctors have said that he is alright and just needs to do rehabilitation on his legs to regain their strength.’’
Having been an athlete himself, Rexy understands the fear that Tze Yong is facing, and isn’t pushing the shuttler to force himself back onto the court.
“We aren’t blaming him for thinking that way because the moment he feels some pain, he fears that it is the effect of his old injury.
“If I were in his shoes, I would be traumatised as well. It’s not an excuse to stay away from competing, but you don’t want it to happen again,” he said.
Rexy added that psychological support would be beneficial for Tze Yong but it is crucial to find the right person to provide the help he needs.
“That trauma from the injury has to be dealt with. We have to find someone who can get through to him and make him let go of that fear.
“We hope he will be back soon but it’s all up to him to get out of it and mentally prepare himself,” said Rexy.
It will be a waiting game to see when Tze Yong will return to court, as he will be skipping the upcoming Malaysian Open from Jan 7-12 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil and has also pulled out of the Indian Open from Jan 14-19.
Tze Yong’s absence from tournaments has also caused his ranking to drop to world No. 202.
