KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — It has been a transformation of sorts, but for national singles player Lee Zii Jia, the positive changes seen in his game of late boil down to the presence of greatness around him — in the form of three badminton legends now turned coaches.
Having former national ace Datuk Misbun Sidek, and ex-Indonesian national players Hendrawan and Indra Wijaya in the singles coaching set up has certainly given Zii Jia a much needed boost to his confidence on the court.
“Players have to adapt each time they have a different coach as no two coaches are the same. So far, I am getting used to Hendrawan as my coach, and I can see improvement. I hope to work with him longer.
“And it’s not just Hendrawan, Misbun and Indra Wijaya also help me a lot. I feel proud to have three legends guiding me. They are instilling a lot of confidence in my game,” he told reporters after his semifinal defeat at the Malaysia Masters 2020 here yesterday.
Zii Jia had shown great form and improvement in the badminton season opener but his journey ended at the hands of world No 1 Japanese player, Kento Momota, who currently rules the court and seems to be untouchable.
On where he goes from here, Zii Jia said he first has to discuss with his coach on his next sparring partner after Soong Joo Ven was dropped from national badminton training set up.
Apart from Joo Ven, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) also dropped six other players - singles players Tan Jia Wei and Ziyad Md Tah, women’s double pair Lim Peiy Yee-Lim Chiew Sien and the senior men’s pair of Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi.
“It looks like the national camp now only has youth players, and I am the oldest, something I never imagined.
“I may have to request for a new sparring partner, as it looks like only the juniors are available,” he said. — Bernama
