Can he win more? Is he on the right path?


Everyone who loves badminton loves Lee Chong Wei. He may not be the favourite with everyone but one thing is for certain, that we all love him.
Lee Chong Wei is the most celebrated Malaysian athlete and a decorated ambassador of the sport. His titles and records are impressive enough to make everyone love and admire him.

But today, I can’t help but wonder what other milestones he has left to look forward to this late in his career. The more obvious question is ‘can he?’ He is 35 years old. By this age most of his fellow players have retired or have certainly lost their competitive years.

Earlier in July 2018, he was diagnosed with nose cancer which was career and life threatening. Since then he has gone through numerous treatments. But earlier in February 2019 he returned to court for some light training. He was planning on an All England (March 6-10) returned but his doctors advised against this. And now he is aiming for an April return with the Malaysian Open. He has won the Malaysian Open a record 12 times, can he make it a record 13 times? (withdrawn from the Malaysian Open)
Men’s Singles discipline right now is a highly competitive scene with top players like Chen Long, Kento Momota, Anthony Ginting, Shi YuQi and Viktor Axelsen. It is a nice idea to return to competition with a home tournament. But it cannot be helped to ask, is it too far fetched for Lee Chong Wei? I am not taking anything away from Lee Chong Wei but with undeniable physical limitations right now, perhaps it is time he retires.

His career is illustrious but not the ultimate best. He has not won the two major titles, the Olympic gold medal and World Championship gold medal. Maybe Lee Chong Wei is not satisfied with his career just yet because the two golds still alludes him. Maybe it drives him to keep going even stronger.

What can we, as fans, expect from him now? We all know of Lin Dan and the criticism he is facing because of his current form. Will Lee Chong Wei be like Lin Dan and received with mixed reactions now? Can he win more titles? Can he be the ultimate champion?