The Malaysian national badminton team's men's doubles men's doubles former world champions Chia Ting Feng and So Wei Yi are now in doubt about their ability to compete in next week's All England Badminton Super 1000 tournament after a recurrence of injury in the first round of the Orleans Badminton Super 300 on Wednesday, exacerbating the injury to his right shoulder.
Xie Dingfeng (right) and Su Weiyi's participation in next week's All England Badminton Super 1000 is now in doubt
Before heading to France for the Orleans Badminton Masters, Chia Tingfeng suffered a minor injury to his right hand while training at the Malaysian Badminton Stadium on 28 February. Despite receiving medical clearance from the Badminton Association of Malaysia to compete in the Orleans Badminton Masters, the decision could now backfire, with world No. 5 Chesse Su potentially forced to withdraw from the All England Championships from 11-16 March.
Malaysia's rain boots coach director Lei Xi confirmed that Xie Dingfeng suffered a shoulder injury in the first game of the men's doubles against China's world No. 58 Sun Wenjun and Zhu Yijun. The pair eventually lost 18-21, 8-21 in the 27-minute match.
Team Doctor Diagnoses Xie Dingfeng with Shoulder ImpingementXie Dingfeng was diagnosed with shoulder impingement, an injury in which the tendons in the shoulder are swollen and cause them to rub against surrounding tissues or bones. The injury had already affected Chia's performance during the Malaysia Badminton Super 1000, India Badminton Super 750 and Indonesia Badminton Super 500 tournaments in January this year. Recy revealed that the team's physical therapist who traveled to Orleans with the team had confirmed the diagnosis: "The report shows that Dingfeng suffers from right shoulder impingement."
Severe pain that affects the action of hitting the ball. "Although there was no swelling, he felt severe pain in the front of his shoulder. This limited his shoulder movement (which was only partially moving) and affected his batting action. "He's in physiotherapy and the pain isn't noticeable at the moment, but we'll continue to monitor his condition." 'He won't train today [Thursday] and it's too early to decide whether or not to play in the All England and we'll reassess the situation in the next few days.'
At the same time, the head coach of the Malaysian men's doubles, Pang Wei Shun, who did not travel to Europe with the team due to visa issues, still hopes that Xie Dingfeng's injury will not be too serious: "Dingfeng's hand injury has not fully recovered, and the shoulder injury may have aggravated the problem. Hopefully it won't be too bad. ”
The 28-year-old Xie Dingfeng has fought with injuries in the past. In 2022, he fought with the same shoulder injury and eventually made history with So Wei Yi in Tokyo, Japan, and won Malaysia's first-ever badminton world championship. He was also plagued by injuries at last year's Paris Olympics, but he still won the bronze medal again with Su Weiyi.
With just a few days left before the All England Championships kick off, Lacey and Pao will have to weigh their options carefully. If Xie Dingfeng is unable to recover in time, retiring may be the best option to avoid the injury getting worse. Sticking to the All England with an injury could worsen the injury, and the wisest decision would be to forgo the game to ensure he can continue his career until Los Angeles 2028.