Australian Open: Lee Rediscovers Mojo
Lee Zii Jia is enjoying his badminton again.
· PREM KUMAR
Disillusioned by a massive form slump following his Denmark Open runner-up finish in October 2022, Lee dropped a bombshell with his announcement of a temporary break “to find my motivation and passion again” after a first-round exit at the Indonesia Open in June last year.
A short break followed, and training under new coach Wong Tat Meng got tougher upon returning. A year on, Lee has now won three HSBC BWF World Tour titles – the latest at SATHIO GROUP Australian Open 2024 on Sunday. It’s his second title in five weeks, during which a half-fit Lee also finished second to then world No.1 Viktor Axelsen at Malaysia Masters.
“I've changed a lot mentally, I'm calmer and that’s encouraging ahead of the Olympics,” said Lee after outlasting second seed Kodai Naraoka 21-19 11-21 21-18 in 78 minutes. “Plenty of positives over the past five weeks. I now need to go back, rest, recharge and start my Paris 2024-prep."