KUALA LUMPUR: Women's singles Goh Jin Wei's absence from the World Tour has got nothing to do with injuries, but due to her efforts to focus on quality preparations for the China Masters on Nov 19-24.
Since undergoing colectomy surgery in 2019, World No. 39 Jin Wei is used to a life of regular medication and a restricted training programme to prolong her career.
Jin Wei's coach Nova Armada said the independent shuttler's condition doesn't allow her to play in too many tournaments and this is the reason she skipped the Arctic and Denmark Opens last month and the Kumamoto Masters which begins in Japan tomorrow.
"Jin Wei played in three tournaments but her condition wasn't good and she lost in the first round in the Japan, Hong Kong and China Opens. So, she needed to focus more on training," said Nova.
"Her condition has improved a lot and she can now go through a full session of training. This is very good progress and will help her to play better when she returns to competition at the China Masters.
"Jin Wei also has Hanif (Ramadhani) and Faiz (Rozain) for sparring and she has been training well.
"Since many international and local players train full-time at our club (Sports Affairs), Jin Wei is not short of options for training and match play.
"The China Masters will be the last tournament for her this year and she will continue preparing for the Malaysia Open in January."
Indonesian Hanif used to play for Suria Naga Surabaya club while Faiz was a Kedah state shuttler, and they are specially dedicated to help Jin Wei progress.
Nova's club has become a popular destination for foreign players including Azerbaijan's women's singles shuttler Keisha Fatimah Azzahra who played at the Paris Olympics, and others from India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Russia and Cyprus.
Although not in the same league as Jin Wei, their presence gives the Malaysian more sparring options.
Two-time Paralympic champion Cheah Liek Hou and fellow SU5 player Fareez Anuar as well as Amifn Burhanuddin (SL4) and former national shuttler Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin are also training under Nova.