Badminton

Lee Chong Wei withdraws from Indian Open to focus on Malaysian Open

Indian Open or Malaysian Open? 

Upon returning from England, the four-time All England champion, Lee Chong Wei, was faced with a major decision to make.

Lee Chong Wei had to decide whether he wanted to participate in the Indian Open or the Malaysian Open — due to clashing dates.

The Indian Open, which will be happening in New Delhi, is happening from 28th of March until 2nd of April. The Malaysian Open, which will be held in Kuching, will take place from the 4th of April until 9th of April.

The Malaysian Open starts just two days after the Indian Open, and if he participates, Lee Chong Wei might not have enough time to get back, to rest, and start prepping for the Malaysian Open.

Malaysian Open it is! 

It looks like Lee Chong Wei has made his decision after deliberating with his coaches, Hendrawan and Tey Seu Bock. The world no 1 has decided that he will relinquish his place in the Indian Open so he can concentrate all his time and energy on securing his 12th Malaysian Open title.

Lee Chong Wei also noted that he has yet to completely recover from a knee injury he sustained prior to the All England tournament.

“He’s not at his best right now. An extra week of training will give Chong Wei the time to be ready for the home tournament,” coach Seu Bock told The Star.

“We pulled Chong Wei out of the Indian Open based on his form in training. The All-England victory took a toll on him.” the coach added.

Guess who else is going to be there at the Malaysian Open! 

It’s probably best to let Lee Ching Wei recover, rejuvenate, and get back into form before the Malaysian Open. Especially since his arch-nemesis Lin Dan is also forgoing the Indian Open for Malaysian Open.

Lin Dan, who emerged champion at the recent Swiss Open, will be looking to make up for his early and disappointing exit at the All England.

“Lin Dan is still hungry for titles. He’ll be even stronger at the Malaysian Open. The presence of Lin Dan and Chong Wei will make the men’s singles competition more interesting in Kuching,” coach Seu Bock said.

We couldn’t agree more! Any tournament with both Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan in them immediately gets our adrenaline rushing as we wait impatiently on the edge of our seats to see the two go head-to-head. And we’re still waiting for that cathartic moment when Lee Chong Wei defeats Lin Dan and walks out with his fist pumping the air.

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