Men’s singles chief Hendrawan cut a proud mentor after watching Lee Zii Jia lift the All England trophy, but the Indonesian revealed he asked the 2021 champion if he was up to contest in the tournament prior.
Coming into the prestigious event, the Malaysian had not been in the best of form. Even though he qualified for the Swiss Open semis, Lee was expected to get past Thailand’s Kunvalut Vitidsarn and make the final.
When he lost in straight games, Hendrawan asked him if he wanted to play in the All England.
“We had planned from the start to let Zii Jia regain his shattered confidence at the Swiss Open. If he’s still not ready, then we will pull him out of the All England. After the match [against Kunvalut], I gave him a day to settle down before asking him if he wanted to play at the All England.
“He said ‘Coach, I’m feeling much better now and my game is getting there, so I want to give the All England a shot’,” Hendrawan told The Star.
Hendrawan, who could not travel to Birmingham due to visa issues, admitted he did not expect Lee to beat Kento Momota and Viktor Axelsen in one go to win the prestigious tournament.
“It was a surprise really. For a player who had lost his self-belief to bounce back in such a short time and put up the best performance of his career, it’s near impossible. But we know Zii Jia is capable of beating anyone when he plays to his true level.”
Lee and women’s doubles pair M.Thinaah-Pearly Tan returned home on Tuesday and are undergoing a seven-day quarantine period.
