Malaysian badminton star Lee Zii Jia will not be defending his Australian Open title, having withdrawn from the Super 500 tournament scheduled from Nov 18–23.
The world No. 63 had already pulled out of this week’s Kumamoto Masters in Japan and is expected to drop further in the world rankings, as he is unable to defend the points from his Sydney victory last year.
Zii Jia is struggling with a back injury, which previously forced him to skip the European leg of the World Tour. He had planned to return at the Kumamoto Masters but ultimately gave the tournament a miss.
The 27-year-old’s injury woes date back to last December at the World Tour Finals, when he suffered an ankle problem. He returned in March for the Orleans Masters and the All England but later opted for more recovery time.
His comeback at the Paris World Championships in August ended in a first-round defeat, and subsequent outings at the Hong Kong and China Masters also ended in disappointment.
With his management team remaining tight-lipped, the exact nature of the issues affecting the Paris Olympics bronze medallist remains unclear.
Zii Jia is still registered for the Syed Modi International from Nov 25–30. In women’s singles, Goh Jin Wei has also withdrawn from the Australian Open.
