KUALA LUMPUR: Just a week to go before the World Championships in Nanjing, China, and it is still uncertain if Lee Chong Wei will take part in the prestigious tournament.
This is because for the past week, the former World No 1 has skipped training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara, which might affect his preparations.
Is Chong Wei injured, or is he struggling with fitness after playing in two back to back tournaments – the Malaysia and Indonesia Opens?
The three-time Olympic silver medallist, bagged his 12th Malaysian Open crown last month when he saw off Japanese ace Kento Momota in the final, before losing to the same opponent in the semi-final of the Indonesia Open.
When contacted last week (Wednesday), Chong Wei admitted he was still resting at home.
He did not indicate anything, but was instead fired up to give his best against France's Brice Leverdez in the opening round.
However, as of today (Monday), it is understood that the 36-year-old has yet to return to training.
Knowing Chong Wei it is very unlike him as he is a very committed athlete. He never takes training lightly, especially ahead of major tournaments like the world meet.
He could, however, skip the World Championships, if he decides to focus on the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, which is scheduled to begin just 10 days after the world meet.
Given his age, it could be taxing for Chong Wei, to perform in two major tournaments back to back.
In fact, since the start of the year, Chong Wei had made it clear that the Commonwealth and Asian Games were his main priority, since it would be his last appearance.
At the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April, Chong Wei claimed the men's singles gold, and it would be a dream for him to win the coveted Asian Games gold, another major title that is missing from his trophy cabinet.