KUALA LUMPUR: In a positive development for the national badminton camp, top men's singles player Ng Tze Yong returned to training on Tuesday after a two-week absence due to a lower back injury.
The setback forced the 24-year-old to retire from the first round of the Super 1000 Malaysia Open.
The injury threw a spanner in the works for the world No. 14 shuttler, who is still in the running to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Tze Yong, who had to skip the India Open last week and the ongoing Indonesia Masters said: "I started some light training last week, and this week got back on court.
"Of course, I want to be back as soon as possible, but I think it's important to be patient and not rush it.
"I am not training at full capacity yet, but I feel good because I'm not feeling any pain."
Tze Yong, the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games silver medallist, said he can't confirm if he will be fit for the upcoming Thailand Masters.
However, the second-highest ranked Malaysian hopes to make a comeback at the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) in Selangor on Feb 13-18.
National men's singles coach Tey Seu Bock explained that Tze Yong would need another two to three weeks for a full recovery.
"Tze Yong is still in the recovery and rehabilitation process.
"We need to give him some time as we do not want him to aggravate the injury.
"We cannot force his comeback. It won't be good if his pain comes back," added Seu Bock.
Tze Yong is ranked No. 13 in the Race to Paris standings, two rungs below independent shuttler Lee Zii Jia.
Countries are allowed two representatives each in the Paris Olympics, provided both are ranked in the top 16 by April.