Tokyo: After surviving a fatal car crash in Malaysia early Jan 13, where the car driver was killed and underwent surgery on Feb. 8 to repair a fractured right eye socket as a result of a massive hit to his eyes during the accident. World No. 1 men’s singles player announced on Friday that he has fully recovered from all injuries and was fit both mentally and physically.
“My eyesight is good, I don’t have any problems while playing, and I can give my 100% during training,” said Momota to Japanese media.
Momota also said that he was a little disappointed with the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“I was aiming for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I knew I had six months after the surgery and I could afford to train hard every day in six months to play in the Olympics,” said Momota.
“But now, I have to wait one more year, it’s hard to tell you how I feel now that I still have to train more to get ready for next year’s Olympics,” added Momota.
“Nevertheless, I will continue to train and do my best every day and work towards my goal,” explained Momota.
Momota also said that he actually benefited from the long layoff caused by both injury and the coronavirus outbreak.
“I did some soul searching and was thinking about what I should do next in my career. It’s a lot of fun and very fulfilling to be able to get back practice.”
Even though the Tokyo Olympics was postponed to next year, he stood firm in targeting the gold medal.
“I want to win the Olympic gold medal. My focus for the Olympics has not changed at all.”
