KUALA LUMPUR: Men's singles player Lee Zii Jia has hinted that he will play in this year's Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China.
In a post-match interview with China's Weibo account Shuttle Times, following his first round win over India's Priyanshu Rajawat at the Asian Championships (BAC) on Wednesday, Zii Jia said he has always done well in team events and would like to do the same at this year's world team championships on April 27-May 5.
"As you all know, I always take part in team events, no matter if its the Thomas or Sudirman Cup, and I have good results in team events, so I hope I can take part this year too.
"My team (Team LZJ) always thinks for me and still considers many aspects, but we hope we can reach an agreement with BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia)," Zii Jia was quoted saying.
When Shuttle Times asked about his tournament schedule after the end of the Olympic qualifying period, Zii Jia added: "I am still chasing for a seeding (top eight). If my results are not so good, then I will need to play in more tournaments, but if it is good, then I will play less."
Earlier, Zii Jia, through his manager Lee Zii Yii and coach Wong Tat Meng, had conveyed to BAM that he might skip the Thomas Cup to focus on his preparations for the Paris Olympics in July.
BAM is expected to finalise the squad lists for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals on Friday (April 12) one day before the deadline.
For the Thomas Cup, Malaysia are in Group D with European champions Denmark, Hong Kong, and Algeria.
Zii Jia, Asian champion in 2022, will play Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen next in the second round on Thursday.