Cai Yun who is one of China’s most decorated shuttlers, has commended Lee Zii Jia for adapting to a new style of play just before the Paris Olympics which saw the Malaysian rewarded with the Australian Open title.
Speaking on his Chinese social media page Weixin - the former Chinese men’s doubles maestro who is an 2012 Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion - commended Lee’s ability to spring a tactical surprise just before the Olympics.
“For example Lee Zii Jia and Chou Tien-chen who are independent shuttlers, it is difficult for them to find high level opponents in daily training. So they use actual matches to maintain their form.
“But Lee has also dared to try a new playing style so close to the Olympics, and the results are quite good. Lee’s killer weapon is his offensive play. But at the Australian Open, he played with a control style which didn’t work so well for him last year.
“As a result the matches were more tedious, with four of five matches going to three games. But he won them all, even using the control style to defeat Kodai Naraoka who is known to grind out results. Being able to experiment with a new style before the Olympics can add psychological pressure on his opponents.
“I believe Lee will use his familiar offensive style at the Olympics, but how will his opponents cope when he switches to a controlled gameplay?,” said Cai Yun.
Lee won his second title this year after playing a patient game against Naraoka in the Australian Open final, which he won after three hard fought games as Cai Yun pointed out.
As a result of winning in Sydney, Lee rose to seventh on the world rankings to also ensure a better seeding ahead of the Paris Olympics which commences on July 26.
Henry Larsson
Mon Jun 24 2024
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