Zii Jia Opens Up On Mental Struggles During Comeback Journey

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 (Bernama) -- Professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has revealed that he went through ‘a little bit of depression’ during his five-month absence from the court as he battled injury and uncertainty over his career.

The 27-year-old is set to make his return this week at the World Championships 2025, to be held at the Adidas Arena in Paris, the same venue (the then Porte de la Chapelle Arena) where he clinched bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“During those five months… I was not just dealing with my injuries, I was dealing with stress, and of course, I did have a little bit of depression.

“It’s not normal (to be out for five months). I’ve been in a situation that… I wanted to stop playing because of all these injuries, all these things that bothered me. It was my first time dealing with this big injury. And when it happened, I was quite shocked as well, and I was clueless,” he was quoted as saying in an article released by the Badminton World Federation official website today.

Zii Jia injured his ankle during the World Tour Finals last December and made his return in March at the Orleans Masters, where he lost to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen 21-23, 7-21 in the quarter-finals.

He then competed in the 2025 All England Championships in Birmingham from March 11-16, where he was knocked out in the first round by Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long, who won 21-19, 16-21, 12-21.

The former All England 2021 champion subsequently withdrew from the 2025 Swiss Open in Basel, Switzerland, held from March 18-23, due to the same ankle injury.

To cope with the struggles, Zii Jia said he deliberately shut himself away from badminton news and social media noise.

Instead, he embarked on what he described as a ‘healing trip’ that included reading, solo travel, skydiving in Dubai, and visiting art museums in Abu Dhabi.

 “I travelled as well, to keep my mind fresh. I was sort of obsessed with art. I figured out that looking at art is something that can express our feelings, not just the good side, sometimes the dark side as well. So that’s why I shared those images,” he said.

Last July, the Kedahan shared several mysterious posts (apparently of disturbing images including a stitched-up figure holding a blood-stained needle), raising speculation about their meaning.

The world number 52 Zii Jia is slated to open this year’s world meet campaign against South Korea's world No. 38 Jeon Hyeok Jin.

-- BERNAMA