National badminton player Lee Zii Jia (李梓嘉) has been working hard to restore his former glory after numerous defeats since parting ways with his former coach Indra Wijaya. Although he was doing fine during the BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Championships last August, it seems that he still has a long way to go before he earns back the title of champion.
After his most recent match in the second round of the Malaysia Open, the 26-year-old expressed his frustration after struggling for so long. Here’s what he said during the after-match press interview:
@aisysofea1221 zii jia😔😔“Saya pun benci juga keluar nk jawab lagi kalah nk try again lagi, come back stronger tu mcm dah bosan la. Saya taktau bila mgkin blh berdiri dekat sini cakap, saya sudah menang saya sdh champion saya dah sgt confident but i hope satu hari nnti akan boleh cakap mcm ni dekat sini” #leeziijia #petronasmalaysiaopen2024 #malaysiaopen2024 #pmo2024 #fyp
Lee Zii Jia, unfortunately, suffered another defeat in the second round of the Malaysia Open tournament at Axiata Arena, which is currently taking place from 9th to 14th January. Speaking to reporters, the world No. 11 revealed that he has grown tired of his struggles. “You win some, you lose some but I hate giving the same answer that I’ll ‘try again’ and ‘come back stronger’. I’m getting sick of having to repeat that over and over again,” he said.
Although he recognised his dissatisfaction with himself, the national badminton star clarified that he’s still positive about the future adding, “I never give up and I’ve attended my training with my coach every day. This is all part of the process. I don’t know when I’ll be able to stand here and say that ‘I’m a champion’ again but I hope that the day will come”.
While the athlete may not be sure what the future holds, one thing he can count on is his fans sticking by his side. After the press interview was posted online, many showed their support for their sports idol and offered their words of encouragement to help keep him going. Some believed that he’ll become a champion once more while others said that his ongoing efforts and passion matter more than the title.
Lee Zii Jia may not have won the Malaysia Open tournament but he still has other matches to look forward to this year before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France which are the India Open, Indonesia Masters, German Open, French Open and Badminton Asia Championship 2024, just to name a few.
