KUALA LUMPUR: Can Lee Zii Jia achieve another Arctic Open victory to reignite the fire within him?
The World No. 5 has been struggling since winning the men's singles bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August, suffering first-round defeats at both the Japan Open and the China Open.
Last year, Zii Jia faced a similar rough patch on the tour, even announcing a break after the Indonesian Open in June to refocus and regain his form.
The decision paid off as he went on to win the Arctic Open in October, defeating compatriot Ng Tze Yong in the final.
After his recent early exits in Japan and China, Zii Jia cited unusual niggles but now claims his condition has improved.
He is looking forward to better results at both the Arctic Open, which starts tomorrow, and the Denmark Open next week.
"As long as I can get on the court, I will keep playing and competing in the remaining tournaments on the world tour," said Zii Jia recently.
The Arctic Open has attracted a strong field, including Paris Olympics silver medallist Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand (world No. 8), Denmark's world No. 3 Anders Antonsen and Japan's world No. 4 Kodai Naraoka.
Zii Jia faces a tricky opener against Frenchman Christo Popov in the first round. Their last encounter, at the 2022 German Open, saw Zii Jia pushed to three games before securing the win.