KUALA LUMPUR: The BA of Malaysia (BAM) has submitted a ranking protection request to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong.
This latest development was shared by BAM coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
According to the Indonesian former world and Olympic champion, Tze Yong, who is currently No. 18 in the world, will need another two to three months to recover from his second surgery following a back injury sustained during the Malaysia Open in January.
Rexy said the situation means that Tze Yong is out of the upcoming Malaysia Masters, scheduled on May 21-26 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
"The latest report I received from the medical team indicates that Tze Yong needs to rest for another two to three months after undergoing his second surgery.
"So, he definitely cannot compete in the Malaysia Masters.
"We have also sent a letter to the BWF last week to request ranking protection for Tze Yong."
Ranking protection can be requested by any player who falls ill or suffers an injury which prevents them from competing for three to 12 months.
Once in effect, it will protect the player's original ranking so they can register for BWF World Tour tournaments once they return to fitness.
However, this privilege can only be used according to the duration of the player's rest period or up to a maximum of six months.
For the record, Tze Yong has only competed in two tournaments this season, namely the Malaysia Open and the Asia Team Championships in February.
Unfortunately for the Johor-born shuttler, the injury ended his dreams of qualifying for the Paris Olympics in July.