Chen Long hails Zii Jia as one of 'most complete' men's singles shuttlers

In a recent interview, former Chinese superstar Chen Long described Lee Zii Jia as three of the most complete men’s singles shuttlers.

34-year-old Chen, who officially hung up his racquet in May this year, named Viktor Axelsen and Loh Kean Yew as the other two.

“If Axelsen is in top form or performs at his top level, he is above the rest. But I also have two players in mind [as one of the most complete players]. There are many great Chinese players around, but let me talk about these two – Lee Zii Jia and Loh Kean Yew.

“I played against Lee a few times and beat him at the Olympics. I most recently met him at the Sudirman Cup [in Suzhou, China] and had a chat with him as he speaks Mandarin.

“I think Lee is physically strong and has immense talent. He is also explosive and aggressive. I think he has what it takes to make it to the top,” Chen told the Badminton World Federation.

Lee and Chen met five times in total, with the 2016 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion ending his career with a slender 3-2 win advantage over the Malaysian.

If anything, the glowing appraisal from Chen should give Lee conviction ahead of two big assignments at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

The 25-year-old will first compete in the team event, before going up against some of the best in the individual meet, including Singapore's Loh.

Chen was full of praise for the Penang-born shuttler too.

“Kean Yew is fit, aggressive, fast and he is young. I started paying attention to his matches after he won the World Championships. He will have many opportunities in the future,” he said.