KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s men’s singles shuttler, Ng Tze Yong, must be heartbroken to face yet another injury setback so soon after making his return to competitive action — but if there’s anyone who understands the struggle and heartbreak of long layoffs, it’s India’s K. Srikanth.
The 32-year-old, who has battled injuries and fluctuating form over the past few years, offered some words of encouragement to Tze Yong, who is expected to be out for another two weeks at least due to a knee strain he sustained in the first round of the Malaysia Masters this week.
Srikanth knows the comeback trail all too well. The former world No. 1, currently ranked 65th, fought his way through the qualifying rounds before pulling off a gritty 21-18, 24-22 win over Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in the semi-finals today — reaching his first final since the 2021 World Championships.
“The sport has become so challenging, it is not easy to predict,” said Srikanth, after booking his place in the final on Saturday.
“ I’m pretty sure he must have been 101% prepared to play in a tournament. He must have worked really hard to come back from injury and be match fit. These things do happen and sometimes you can’t really predict what’s going to happen at the next point.
“It’s really very unfortunate what has happened to him, but I really wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back soon.”
Srikanth revealed that he had missed around five to six months of action last year due to an ankle injury but stayed motivated simply because of his love for the game.
“I just love playing the sport, that’s it,” he said.
Having rolled back the years this week at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, Srikanth’s story is a timely reminder to younger players like Tze Yong — that setbacks, no matter how discouraging, don’t have to be the end of the road.
Separately, Srikanth who trains with the Indian national team in Hyderabad, admitted that he will try his best to make full use of the temporary absence of several big names, currently sidelined under the Badminton World Federation (BWF) protected ranking system — including two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, and Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting — to regain his place among badminton’s elite.
“Maybe,” he said when asked if he sees this as a chance to return to the top.
“I need to get some points and be back in the top 30 so I don’t have to play the qualifiers. Whatever I can do, I’ll definitely try.”
Srikanth, who has been coming back to compete in Malaysia for more than a decade, will face the winner of the match between China’s Li Shi Feng and Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in tomorrow’s final – May 24, 2025