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The four time finalist at the All England Championships, Lee Chong Wei has admitted that his preparations for the treasured event may have suffered a setback. It is understood that the two time winner hurt his ankle this week during a practice session. The Malaysian was last seen in action at an exhibition event in China this past Sunday. The tournament begins on 4 March, giving the star just a week to regain his fitness ahead of the event in Birmingham.
Chong Wei partnered his nemesis Lin Dan in an exhibition doubles match against quadruple world champions Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng at a training facility in Lingshui to mark the inauguration of the freshly minted facility. The world No.1 has been in the finals of the All England, in each of the past four years, winning the championships in 2010 and 2011.
He admitted today, that the five time world champion Dan was covering for him during much of that exhibition match. “I had this pain on my ankle before my exhibition match in China. In fact, my partner Lin Dan had to cover for me most of the time during the match,” said the 31 year old Malaysian player.
“When I came back home, I could not enjoy full training. For the last few days, I have only been doing light training and getting treatment. I am not sure what triggered it but the swelling is still there,” added Chong Wei. “I have another week to go before the All-England. Hopefully, I will be in better condition. I just need to be mentally stronger to handle the situation during the competition.”
Chong Wei was hoping for a good show this year, after suffering yet another loss at the hands of his rival Len Chong at the Korean Open in January. Chong had also beaten Chong Wei in the finals of the All England event last year to deny him a third career title at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.
The world No.2 has an 8-7 edge over his ageing opponent, who has lost each of their past four encounters. For now though, Chong Wei will be hoping that his left leg recovers in time for one of the biggest events on the badminton calendar. Meanwhile, the 103rd ranked Lin Dan failed to make the cut to the tournament. The draw was announced earlier on Friday for the event, scheduled to play out between 4-9 March.
