Datuk Lee Chong Wei could likely lose his stronghold as badminton’s world number one, a title he’s held for the last five years.
This, after he withdrew from the back-to-back Denmark and French Open, as he seeks to recover and recuperate from a hectic schedule. The Denmark Open, a Superseries Premier, is set to kick off on the 14th of October in Odense, while the 10th leg of the Superseries in France takes place the following week.
It is compulsory for all the top 10 players to compete in the Superseries Premier, and his decision to withdraw would mean a hefty penalty fee of $5,000.
The World Number 1 has been facing several disappointments lately, with the most recent being his inner thigh injury back in June, which forced him to pull out of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. He also blew his chance at the World Championships, losing to China’s Chen Long in the final.
He then failed to claim his revenge against Chen Long after losing to him again at the semi-finals of the team event at the recent Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and then to China’s five-time world champion and his long-time rival, Lin Dan, in the semi-finals of the individual competition.
If all goes well, Chong Wei is expected to play in one of the last two Superseries events, which could be either the China Open or Hong Kong Open next month.
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