KUALA LUMPUR – As national badminton ace Lee Zii Jia gears up for the Malaysia Masters, he is still undecided about his new coach.
Speaking to the media at the tournament’s test court at the Axiata Arena here today, Zii Jia said he is still in the midst of finalising his new coach and hopes to make a final decision in the next few weeks.
With the Malaysia Masters being the first World Tour tournament contributing to Olympic qualification points, Zii Jia said the new coach will need to slot seamlessly into his current team.
“We need someone who can help with planning for tournaments so our training will have more direction,” he said.
The world number eight shuttler parted with previous coach Indra Wijaya in November last year and has since brought onboard former national shuttler Daren Liew as a temporary assistant coach and sparring partner.
“Daren is new and has been working with me, but we need someone with experience who can show us the right way,” he said.
However, Zii Jia declined to comment further on the matter of his new coach.
Since splitting with Wijaya, both parties have been involved in an ongoing termination dispute, with the Indonesian coach having rejected Zii Jia’s offer of an out-of-court settlement. – The Vibes, May 22, 2023