KUALA LUMPUR: Leong Jun Hao may not be in the same league as some of the big stars in world badminton, but the former Asian junior champion has a lot of heart.
Well aware of the current injury situation plaguing the national men's singles department, Jun Hao has vowed to step up to the task should he be called up for the Thomas Cup next month.
On Friday, Jun Hao crashed out in the quarter-finals of the ongoing Spain Masters in Madrid after suffering a 21-16, 21-12 defeat to Taiwan's in-form 34-year-old, Chou Tien Chen.
The defeat came just one day after Jun Hao pulled off a sensational upset over newly crowned Swiss Open champion Lin Chun Yi, also from Taiwan, in the second round.
Despite the last-eight defeat, Jun Hao said he is beginning to play with more confidence and self-belief, especially after battling injuries for several years since he joined the national senior squad in 2018.
Jun Hao was Malaysia's go-to man at the Asia Team Championships in Selangor last month when both Lee Zii Jia and Ng Tze Yong were unfit to commit fully during the competition.
Today, the fraternity was dealt another blow when the BA of Malaysia (BAM) confirmed that Ng Tze Yong will miss out on this year's Paris Olympics after being withdrawn from the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China, next month.
Tze Yong, who has yet to fully recover from a back injury, also looks doubtful for the Thomas Cup in Chengdu.
"I will be ready," Jun Hao said firmly when contacted in Madrid.
"If my services are needed, I will be ready to step up and play the important role."
As he continues to slowly move up the rankings, world No. 37 Jun Hao hopes to stay injury-free.
"One of the reasons I am more confident is because I have managed to stay injury-free for some time now.
"I aim to maintain this level of performance to achieve even better results," said the 2023 KL Masters champion.
For now, Jun Hao will return to the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara to resume training.
It remains to be seen if Jun Hao will qualify at the eleventh hour for the Asian Championships on April 9-14.
At the moment, he is No. 3 on the reserves list.