Hylo Open men’s singles runner-up Lee Zii Jia could give the upcoming Indonesia Masters (November 16-21) a miss due to his injury.

The national ace injured his back in the final against Loh Kean Yew and was forced to retire in the third game.

“He has a few days to rest and assess his injury. We will make a decision just before the Indonesia Masters whether to enter him. If he has not fully recovered, most likely he will skip that tournament,” said national men’s singles chief Hendrawan.

In Sunday’s final, Lee started off well enough and took the first game 21-19, but could feel the strain on his lower back as he took off into the air each time to drive home his signature overhead and cross-court smashes.

As a result, the Malaysian was a shadow of himself in the second game to lose 13-21 and retired in the decider as he trailed 12-17 after 64-minutes.

Hendrawan added Lee gave it his all in his hunt to land a second title this year after winning the All-England in March.

“Zii Jia already gave it his best. We haven’t discussed anything regarding tactics and strategy, as he is a little jaded mentally now. This is a new experience for him, and it depends on him how he can push himself and manage fatigue,” he added

In an Instagram update, Lee said he was feeling better.

“I am feeling better today. But in consideration of the upcoming tournaments and my body condition, I had no choice but to retire. I always believe I can do better but I’m sorry it had to end this way.

“It is also a reflection on how important a support team means to help me maintain my performance in these high level tournaments,” he wrote.

The world number eight had been playing non-stop since the Sudirman Cup in September.

Even for the Hylo Open, his participation was in doubt after crashing out in the first round of the French Open to Loh.

The decision to enter Lee looked to be paying off as the Kedah-born performed better as tournament progressed, and he came into the final as hot favourite to beat Loh.

The coaches and medical team would continue to monitor the shuttler’s condition closely in the coming days.

Lee and the rest of the participating shuttlers are scheduled to fly into Bali for the Indonesian leg which also includes the Indonesia Open (November 23-28) and BWF World Tour Finals (December 1-5).

A post shared by Lee Zii Jia 李梓嘉 (@leeziijia)