KUALA LUMPUR: Former BAM high performance director, Datuk James Selvaraj urged Lee Zii Jia to make good use of his Olympic group matches to be better prepared for the harder matches in the knockout stage.
The initial matches look easy for Zii Jia. The world No.7 should lose no sleep over Sri Lanka's world No. 72 Viren Nettasinghe and Spain's world No. 63 Pablo Abian in Group G.
However, James admitted that the independent player still faces a perilous
route to the final, considering the opponents he will potentially face.
The 26-year-old is expected to run into world No. 9 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the last 16. That spells trouble as the Indonesian leads their head-to-head record 5-1.
James said it is vital that Zii Jia figures out the conditions at the Port de la Chapelle Arena during the group stage and use them to his advantage in the knockout rounds.
"In the group stage, he must test his strokes and take note of the shuttle's behaviour. This is important as he must use this to his advantage in the knockout rounds against strong opponents.
"This is the Olympics, so you need to maximise any advantages that you can use to turn the tide in your favour," James told Timsport.
If Zii Jia overcomes Ginting, he could face Denmark's world No. 4 Anders Antonsen in the quarter-finals and China's world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi or Thailand's world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi-finals.
James said if Zii Jia, the 2021 All England champion, gets his act together, especially, his consistency, he can reach the final.
But he pointed out that the enigmatic Zii Jia can be a world beater one day, but confoundingly erratic the next.
"He should know how to control himself when facing better opponents. He needs to always adapt to the court conditions and his opponent's game.
"His route to the final is tough as after Ginting, he could possibly play Antonsen in the quarters and Yu Qi in the semis. But he has a chance to get to the final if he plays well and minimises errors," added James.
If Zii Jia gets to the gold medal match, defending champion Viktor Axelsen could be his last hurdle. But the Malaysian will not feel any inferior, having toppled the great Dane before.