KUALA LUMPUR – It has been one year since national badminton ace Lee Zii Jia left the national setup to venture out on his own.
His decision not only shocked the nation but each move that he made has also been scrutinised and closely monitored by all parties, including (but not limited to) his hardcore fans as well as the local media.
The world’s second-best player has been in the constant spotlight as the fraternity is curious to see how the 24-year-old Kedahan would fare in each tournament.
Throughout his career as an independent shuttler, Zii Jia, the second of three siblings, had only won two World Tour titles – Asia Championships and Thailand Open.
He also missed out on a couple of major international events, namely the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, which he decided to skip, and the BWF World Tour Finals due to failing to qualify.
When he announced his decision to part ways with his Indonesian coach and former BA of Malaysia women’s singles coach, Indra Wijaya, in November, his actions received further mixed reactions from the fraternity.
His performance seemingly declining, his fans claimed that some in the media have not been kind to him through their scathing reports.
Following his disappointing stint at the recently concluded season-opener Malaysia Open, his fans claimed that he has been a victim of bad press again and quickly jumped to his aid with #SorryZiiJia on Twitter as a show of solidarity for their favourite badminton player.
Twitter user @itsalmyhere said Zii Jia does not deserve to be treated badly.
“Every harsh word thrown at you was beyond hurtful. They may think it is good for you but little did they know words could leave a mark,” she tweeted.
Another user @craigansibin said that the real reason badminton fans have been using #SorryZiiJia was the excessive media headlines for the player in the past week.
“Look at some of the headlines that surfaced last week. What has sports journalism become? You do not care at all,” he said.
Meanwhile, @goodmintonfinly opined that associating Zii Jia with Malaysian badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei was uncalled for.
“Malaysians are too obsessed with (Zii Jia) to be the next DLCW without appreciating his hard work. He still wears the Jalur Gemilang (national flag) on his chest even though he is no longer in BAM,” the user said.
Since his Malaysia Open debut in 2019, he has never made it past the second round.
As the 2024 Olympic qualifications draw near – starting May this year until May 2024 – all eyes will be on him to see how far he progresses. – The Vibes, January 17, 2023
