KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Badminton fans can expect a more solid performance from Ng Tze Yong in the 2024 Malaysia Open, which will be held at the Axiata Arena from January 9-14.

This is because Tze Yong has had the opportunity to train under Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s former physical trainer Mohd Rosdi Abd Ghani.

National men’s singles coach Hendrawan said that the 23-year-old Tze Yong previously lacked strength and agility, making it difficult for him to consistently put up a strong challenge against the world’s top shuttlers despite having sprung a few surprise wins, including over world number one Viktor Axelsen.

The national coaches have, since the end of last season, worked on improving the weaknesses identified, including getting the services of Mohd Rosdi.

"Previously, we did not focus so much on his fitness as he had many back-to-back tournaments. So, this time, we are focusing on his fitness level. So, we should see the result of this at the Malaysia Open... whether there is a significant improvement in his strength and fitness,” he told a media conference ahead of the championships here today.

Elaborating, the 2011 world champion from Indonesia said that compared to former national ace Chong Wei and men’s professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia, Tze Yong lacks physical strength.

"For example, in terms of attacking prowess and power, he’s not in the same league as Chong Wei and Zii Jia. We need to elevate his counterattacks and attacks from certain angles. We must also keep abreast with the times because these days you need speed and power, unlike during our time when players who are good at rallying can still emerge victorious.

"Tze Yong used to lose a lot in the first round, but now he’s made it to many quarter-finals and semi-finals and has even caused upsets against better players... but he still lacks consistency. The coaches are trying their best but we have to be careful not to push him too hard for fear of injury,” he said.

Hendrawan, who admitted to feeling stressed at failing to produce a shuttler capable of becoming a world champion since Chong Wei retired in 2019, is confident world number 15 Tze Yong can go far.

Meanwhile, Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky hopes the experience and capability of Mohd Rosdi will help Tze Yong improve on his weaknesses to consistently be on par with the world’s best.

"I hope he studies Tze Yong’s (physical) condition. Most importantly, we need to identify how to improve his fitness, body and leg strength because lower body strength is what supports everything. If rely too much on upper body strength, it can cause injuries.

"One of Tze Yong’s strengths, from what I can see, is his deceptive shots. He must execute more cross-court smashes and drop shots to win points,” he said.

He also stressed the need to improve the compilation of match data, such as types of shots, successful attacks and failed attempts to improve the players’ performance.

Tze Yong, meanwhile, admitted that his performance had improved since undergoing intensive training in the past month, in addition to sparring with Chong Wei a few days ago.

"Yes, there is improvement and I am also happy to have learned a few useful tips from Datuk Chong Wei,” said the shuttler. — Bernama