2025-10-02,KUALA LUMPUR

Injury-prone Lee Zii Jia still has several years of quality badminton left in him, but the independent shuttler must set clear goals if he is to rise from his struggles.

That is the view of former world No 1 Rashid Sidek, who believes the 27-year-old must give his full attention to recovering from his latest setback, a lower back injury.

Some neutral fans, however, feel Zii Jia should simply call it a day and retire.

Rashid, though, pointed to two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Taiwan's world No 5 Chou Tien Chen as examples of players who have bounced back repeatedly from injury to achieve success.

"Zii Jia should look for inspiration from them to salvage his career with a proper comeback," said Rashid.

World No 43 Zii Jia confirmed on TeamLZJ's X account that he will skip this month's Denmark Open, French Open and Hylo Open to focus on recovery.

It comes after a frustrating return at the Paris World Championships in August, where he lost in the first round following a five-month layoff with an ankle injury.

He then suffered first-round exit at the Hong Kong Open before retiring against Taiwan's Lin Chun Yi in Shenzhen at the China Masters.

"I don't think Zii Jia is thinking about retiring as he still has a few years of quality badminton in him," said Rashid.

"It is always tough to bounce back from setbacks, but he must focus on having clear goals. That will drive him to return to the World Tour stronger and better."

Rashid added that athletes must not only treat specific injuries but also maintain muscle strength elsewhere to prevent new problems.

"When a player focuses on recovery from one injury — in Zii Jia's case his ankle — he must also strengthen other areas of the body to avoid fresh setbacks," said Rashid.

"However, it depends on his future plans. If he wants to push for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he has to work towards that goal."

Rashid stressed that the drive to challenge younger rivals has kept Axelsen, 31, and Tien Chen, 35, competitive well into their 30s.

"The difference is that both have goals," he said.

"They will be aiming to prolong their careers and could even make the 2028 Olympics and push for a podium finish.

"That determination is something Zii Jia must embrace if he wants to extend his own career."

Following his latest withdrawal, Zii Jia may now target the BWF's 2026 season-opener — the Malaysia Open at Axiata Arena from Jan 6-11 — for his comeback.