KUALA LUMPUR — With Lee Zii Jia poised to make his much-anticipated return at the World Championships in Paris later this month, the question inevitably arises: can he pull off a feat akin to Lin Dan’s famous comeback?
Back in 2013, the now-retired Chinese legend captured his fifth world title in Guangzhou after receiving a wild card from the Badminton World Federation (BWF). Remarkably, he had not played competitively for a year following his second Olympic gold medal triumph in London.
Similarly, Zii Jia has been sidelined for over five months, nursing an ankle injury. Despite securing a protected ranking from the BWF, the former All England champion has slipped to No. 52 in the world.
Adding to the uncertainty, the 27-year-old recently drew attention for posting cryptic drawings on social media, prompting speculation that he may be struggling with depression.
Former international Datuk James Selvaraj, who served as the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s high performance director from 2010 to 2012, believes the tournament in Paris could still hold surprises.
“Of course, Zii Jia is no Lin Dan, but this is the World Championships — anything can happen,” said James.
“I’ve always maintained that Zii Jia is a very complete player. He has the height, the power and the skills. My only concern is his fitness. In the two tournaments he played earlier this year, there were questions about it.
“That said, we don’t know what’s been happening behind the scenes — perhaps he has been training very hard for Paris.”
Zii Jia, who turned independent in 2022, faces a challenging start. He has been drawn against South Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin in the opening round, with a possible second-round meeting against China’s Li Shi Feng.
“The first two rounds will be crucial. If Zii Jia can overcome those early hurdles, I don’t see why he can’t do well in Paris,” added James.
Malaysia’s other representative in the men’s singles is Leong Jun Hao.
The last Malaysian to reach a World Championships men’s singles final was Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei in 2015. Liew Daren remains the most recent Malaysian medallist in the event, winning bronze in 2018. — August 16, 2025