Lee Zii Jia Looks Ahead to 2023: Aims for 3 to 4 Championships to Prove World No. 2 Capability
Jayce
Lee Zii Jia, recently interviewed upon returning to training at the Bukit Jalil Malaysian Badminton Academy, expressed that maintaining his world No. 2 ranking position is no easy task, necessitating consistent performances and results.
He stated, “To prove and maintain my world No. 2 ranking position, my target for next year is to vie for 3 to 4 championships, demonstrating that my high ranking isn’t merely due to accumulating points by participating in numerous tournaments.”
Apart from winning the Asian Championships in men’s singles this year, Lee Zii Jia also led Malaysia to victory in the men’s team event at the Asian Badminton Team Championships held at home.
He mentioned, “In May next year, the qualification tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics will commence. Currently ranked high at world No. 2, I still need to deliver consistent performances to secure Olympic qualification.”
Looking forward to the Malaysia Super 1000 tournament scheduled from January 10 to 15 at the Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex, Lee Zii Jia affirmed his determination to achieve better results than last year. He hopes to reach the finals and contend for the championship, which is also his dream, aiming not to disappoint his fans.
“However, this won’t bring any pressure to me. Whether I can achieve it remains to be seen. If I don’t perform well, I’ll strive to improve my weaknesses.”
Regarding the upcoming match against Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama in the first round of the upgraded Malaysia Super 1000 men’s singles event, Lee Zii Jia acknowledged, “Kanta Tsuneyama is a strong opponent, not easy to handle. But I will strive to face him, not to disappoint as the second seed.”
Speaking about the possibility of facing Malaysia’s own Chong Wei Feng in the next round if he progresses, Lee Zii Jia described it as an interesting matchup, featuring Malaysia’s former second-ranked male singles players, which would be highly appealing to Malaysian fans.
On the topic of training without a coach currently, Lee Zii Jia mentioned that he still has Liu Guolun as a training partner. He currently has no plans to train abroad due to a tight schedule next year, with back-to-back tournaments spanning two weeks requiring him to depart a week in advance, unless participating in European tournaments.
When asked if any foreign players would come to Malaysia for joint training before the Malaysia Super 1000 tournament, Lee Zii Jia revealed that currently, only his Danish friend Anders Antonsen would arrive in Malaysia a week before the tournament to train with him, while Chou Tien Chen might go to the Sports Affairs Club for training.
Lee Zii Jia reassured that he is in good condition and uninjured.
