New strategy needed to win World C'ships: Lee

KUALA LUMPUR • Badminton world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has admitted that he needs to change his strategy and playing tactics to win his first world title in August.

The Olympic silver medallist said his focus at the competition would not only be on arch-rival Lin Dan but also defending champion Chen Long, who entered on a wild card, as well as two other young Chinese players, Shi Yuqi and Tian Houwei.

Commenting on his performance in two recent losses to Lin at the Malaysian Open and the Asian Badminton Championships, Lee said that his opponent's play was in stark contrast to that during the Rio Games last year.

"I realise that my performance in the two finals against Lin Dan was not the best," said the Malaysian.

"I have discussed with the coach on a new strategy after we evaluated the two matches."

Lee had earlier announced that his main goal this year was to win the World Championships after losing in the 2014 and 2015 finals to Chen and in 2011 and 2013 to Lin.

However, his silver medal at the 2014 edition was withdrawn by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after he tested positive for the drug dexamethasone.

The BWF awarded a wild-card slot to Chen for the Glasgow event as he is the reigning world champion.

The Chinese missed out on automatic qualification as he does not have enough world ranking points.

"If I want to win the World Championships, I have to play against all the players, there is no easy way out," said Malaysian Lee.

"I was surprised Chen Long got the wild card, and there are another three players who qualified from China. The competition from other countries is also strong.

"I have to accept this challenge, as I said, it's better for me to focus on my own preparation for the World Championships."

BERNAMA

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 06, 2017, with the headline New strategy needed to win World C'ships: Lee. Subscribe