Thomas Cup: Badminton world number one Lee Chong Wei Injured in Wuhan(pic)

The 29-year old Malaysian landed awkwardly in the early stages of his Thomas Cup match against Denmark’s Peter Gade and was forced to pull out, being helped from the court in tears.

‘His ankle is so swollen. He needs further checks to see the depth of the injury,’ said national team coach Rashid Sidek.

‘We have decided that he would not play in the Thomas Cup finals. We want him to have enough rest before the Olympic Games in London. He was crying and was so emotional. He must have been thinking about the Olympic Games too.

‘For now, all he needs is some rest and time to regain his confidence.’

Chong Wei was beaten in the 2008 Olympic final by Lin Dan and has been plagued by injuries so far this season in the run-up to what will be his final Olympic appearance.