Kuala Lumpur: Lee Zii Jia told Malaysian media, Astro Arena that both he and coaches in the Badminton Association of Malaysian (BAM) had tried to improve his consistency in 2021, but to no avail. That’s why he would like to try something different outside of BAM to see if that would produce positive outlooks for his career.
“BAM has tried its best and has tried everything to meet my requests. But I am not satisfied with my results in 2021, that’s the main reason I would like to become a professional player,” said Lee.
Lee also mentioned that he started to think about turning pro after his lackluster performance at the three back-to-back tournaments that were held in Bangkok, Thailand, in January of 2021. At the YONEX Thailand Open, he lost to Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan 17-21, 15-21 in the quarter-finals, before losing to India’s Sameer Verma 21-18, 25-27, 19-21 in the first round of the Toyota Thailand Open. He also lost all his group stage matches at the 2020 BWF World Tour Finals.
“After the tournaments in Thailand, my coaches told me that this was part of the process of becoming a great player. I finally decided of leaving BAM after playing all tournaments in Europe at the end of last year,” added Lee.
The World No. 7 player admitted he gave BAM two reasons for leaving the association, including he couldn’t stand the stress and also due to the regimented lifestyle in the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM).
Lee said he would set up his own team in Malaysia after becoming a professional player and he is ready and committed to representing Malaysia in tournaments such as the 2022 Thomas Cup, 2022 Badminton Asia Team Championships, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I was expecting the worst after I turned in the resignation letter such as I am not able to compete internationally for two years. But I never thought of playing for other countries,” explained Lee.
Below is the interview between Astra Arena and Lee Zii Jia.
