KUALA LUMPUR – Chances for Ng Tze Yong to make his much-anticipated comeback at next year’s Super 1000 Malaysia Open appear bleak, as he has yet to resume full-court training.
In fact, it remains uncertain when the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist will return to competitive play.
National men’s singles coach K. Yogendran recently told the press that it was important to allow Tze Yong to fully recover from his back injury and surgeries before returning to competition.
The 24-year-old shuttler first sustained a lower back injury at the Malaysia Open in January. Since then, the Johor native has only appeared once, at the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) in February, which some believe may have worsened his condition.
In May, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) submitted a ranking protection request to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for Tze Yong, who was ranked world number 18 at the time.
Under ranking protection, which can last up to 12 months, players can return to compete in top-tier events based on their previous ranking points.
“We’re aiming for him to make a comeback next year, but what month and when exactly, I’m not sure,” said Yogendran, a former men’s singles shuttler himself.
“For now, Tze Yong is back to consistent training, though not fully on court. He trains in the mornings and evenings.
“We have identified his weaknesses, and our strength and conditioning coaches are working on specific programmes for him.
“We don’t want to push him too hard, so he’s limited to about an hour on court, while we focus on addressing these weaknesses,” added Yogendran, who confirmed that Tze Yong’s ranking protection is valid until April next year.
Yogendran, previously a coach for the women’s singles department, also urged patience in Tze Yong’s recovery.
“Any player coming back from injury will not be 100% recovered. There will be ups and downs.
“Tze Yong says the pain is bearable, and he can train. But it’s important to remember that playing and performing are two different things.
“He may be able to play, but it will take time before we see the old Tze Yong,” said Yogendran.
Meanwhile, Yogendran added that BAM should take its time to carefully appoint a new singles head coach rather than rushing the decision.
“It’s better to take our time and appoint the best candidate. What’s the point of rushing?” he asked.
Several prominent coaches, including Indonesia’s Mulyo Handoyo, Denmark’s Kenneth Jonassen, and South Korea’s Kim Ji-hyun, are speculated to be under consideration by the national body.
While BAM has yet to make an announcement, it has confirmed Rosman Razak’s appointment as the women’s doubles head coach. — October 30, 2024