BadmintonBladet flest nyheder om badminton
I et interview med det malaysiske tidsskrift The Star har Lee Chong Wei fortalt om skuffelsen ved VM, velkomsten i Malaysia og sine planer for de kommende turneringer.
Den 29. august blev Lee Chong Wei konfronteret med sine fans, da han skulle dele præmier ud ved Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. De malaysiske badmintonfans kan være hårde, og efter at have tabt til franske Brice Leverdez i første runde ved VM i Glasgow, var Lee Chong Wei forberedt på en kølig velkomst i Malaysia:
– It was my first public appearance after the first-round loss. I was expecting a cold reception, but the fans cheered so loudly at the mere mention of my name at the Axiata Arena. I felt comforted and overwhelmed, siger Lee Chong Wei til The Star
Men det er ikke kun Lee Chong Wei’s mange fans, der stadig tror på ham. Han er også blevet udvalgt til at modtage en speciel pris under Hari Merdeka den 16. september for sit bidrag til Malaysia:
– Since I returned from Glasgow, the fans have not given up on me, the government continues to recognise my contribution and badminton leaders are still giving me their support, siger Lee Chong Wei
Folkets støtte og statens anerkendelse kom på et godt tidspunkt for den malaysiske stjerne, der havde svært ved selv at acceptere sit nederlag efter at have ofret så meget tid og energi på sin træning op til VM:
– The defeat (til Brice Leverdez) was hard to accept initially because I didn’t play well despite all my sacrifices. I gave my everything in training. I even slept in a separate room from my wife (Wong Mew Choo) and went to bed as early as 9pm, siger Lee Chong Wei
– My mind was blank when I returned home from Glasgow. I didn’t touch the racquet at all after my return. I didn’t even watch any matches. I spent time with family, went jogging and swimming, worked out in the gym – just to clear my mind and relax, siger Lee Chong Wei
Lee Chong Wei mener selv, at han nu ved, hvad der gik galt ved VM:
– I know now what went wrong. I put too much pressure on myself. I’ll go to Japan with a simple approach, enjoy my game and give my best, siger Lee Chong Wei
Han har derfor nu fået et mere afslappet forhold til den kommende Superseries turnering, Japan Open:
– Winning will be great but losing is also part and parcel of the game as long as I know that I’ve given my best, siger Lee Chong Wei
