Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s national men’s singles chief coach Misbun Sidek said on Thursday that he was confident in Lee Chong Wei’s physical shape. However, Lee has been overwhelmed by worrying too much about his own age and already started thinking to play slow before stepping on the court for game play.
“Actually, Chong Wei has been carried away by thinking too much about his age. For example, he thought he was old and was trying to slow down the game. It’s always risky of doing something drastically different while he is still one of the best players in the world. He only needs some minor tweaks,” said Sidek after Lee’s early defeat at the French Open on Wednesday.
“For now, we need to fully understand his desire or readiness to play. If he has the desire but not fully prepared, it’s not going to work. He’s already at the top, we just need to remove any negative psychological factors that impacted his training and performance. We also need to take real and practical steps to define a clear direction for him and to get him back on the right track to win championships,” added Sidek.
“Chong Wei should understand his opponents including Chen Long who have always analyze and have excellent read of Chong Wei’s style of play,” added Sidek.
The French Open was the fourth time this year where Lee has been bundled out early in competition after losing to HS Prannoy of India in the second round of the Indonesian and Denmark Opens, and to Frenchman Brice Leverdez in the first round of the World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Chong Wei should look at the defeats as a natural part of sports and life. He should remain calm, never give up and continue to work hard to get back to top form and compete against the new generation of players.”
