KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen does not want to put any pressure on men’s singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong, who only recently returned to international competition after a long injury layoff.
Kenneth said Tze Yong’s main focus is not about producing immediate results but steadily working his way back to full fitness.
He said that the Johor-born shuttler’s return is part of a gradual process, with the primary goal of regaining rhythm and consistency after his lengthy absence.
“Looking at the bigger picture, coming off the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) and now competing in the Taiwan Open, it has been a good progression. It has always been seen as a long-term matter for us.
“We are taking it tournament by tournament, learning new things and slowly getting back into the tournament groove, so to speak. I was really happy to see him go all out for three full games this time (in the Taiwan Open on Wednesday),” he told reporters after the national team’s training session at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) today.
After being sidelined for over a year following back surgery, Tze Yong returned to action at the BAC in April and lost 9-21, 12-21 in 44 minutes to reigning world champion and third seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand.
On Wednesday (May 7), he suffered another early exit, going down 21-18, 18-21, 17-21 to world number 71 Wang Po Wei in the opening round of the ongoing Taiwan Open.
As such, Kenneth, who said the 24-year-old has shown encouraging improvement with each tournament since his comeback at the BAC, wants Tze Yong to enjoy himself at every tournament as he works towards regaining his form.
“I saw clear progression compared to his first tournament. That’s the key in this process. Of course, we want him back at his best, but that takes time and I’m okay with that.
“The main focus is to learn from each tournament, evaluate what we need to work on in training, and build from there, in line with the long-term plan we have for him. So, we don’t want to put too much pressure on him,” he said. — Bernama
