THE Commonwealth Games may not be a priority for world No 5 Lee Zii Jia, but the same can't be said for Singapore's Loh Kean Yew.
Unlike Zii Jia, who has decided to skip the event next month to focus on the World Championships in August, Kean Yew is set to go out with guns blazing in Birmingham to add another major title to his trophy cabinet.
Speaking to the press after testing the courts at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil today, ahead of the Malaysia Open, the 25-year-old reigning world champion said: "As an athlete, we don't play to lose. We try our best by giving it our all.
"It's important to showcase our best and be consistent. The results will follow."
Kean Yew, who was born in Penang, pointed out that Zii Jia and Denmark's world No 1 Viktor Axelsen are currently the best players in world badminton.
In the absence of Zii Jia from the Commonwealth Games, the ones likely to stand between Kean Yew and the gold medal are world No 10 Lakhsya Sen and No 11 K.Srikanth, who inspired India to a historic Thomas Cup triumph in Bangkok last month.
On whether he could regain the form that saw him clinching the world crown in Spain last year, Kean Yew added: "It's hard to say because you can only know you've hit top form when it happens.
"It's very important to just keep going.
"I think it's everyone's target to win the crown, so everyone will be going all out."
After having reached the semi-finals and the quarter-finals of the recent Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open respectively, Kean Yew, who has been training at the famed Viktor Axelsen Training Camp in Dubai, will open his Malaysia Open campaign against Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu tomorrow.
A win could see Kean Yew face Axelsen in the second round.
"I do not want to think too far ahead... one match at a time," quipped the world No 9, who confirmed he will be skipping next week's Super 500 Malaysia Masters to focus on his home Singapore Open (July 12-17) instead.