KUALA LUMPUR: There is a new concern about Ng Tze Yong - he may not be fit for the Thomas Cup Finals in Chengdu, China, on April 27-May 5.
BAM Coaching Director, Rexy Mainaky, said today world No. 18 Tze Yong, who underwent spinal disc surgery recently, will undergo a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan.
Rexy said Tze Yong's coach, Hendrawan, could not confirm whether he would be able to play in the Thomas Cup as the second singles.
Tze Yong, 24, was missing from national team's training this morning at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara.
"I will discuss with the management regarding Tze Yong's actual position for the Thomas Cup; whether he is fit or not to play.
"On our part (the coaches and management), we have done our best for him. Now, it is really up to the player himself.
"It needs to come from the player's mouth, whether he is ready to play or not. If not, all parties including the management will be confused because ultimately it's the player who needs to play on court, not the management or the coach.
"For now, I can't say he won't go (to the Thomas Cup) because we haven't received the MRI report and haven't got any further information,"
When asked why BAM still listed Tze Yong for the Thomas Cup if he wasn't fit, Rexy said he was informed that Tze Yong himself wanted to play.
"During the last meeting, his coach told me Tze Yong wanted to play. However, in the latest development, we hear that the doctor at the NSI (National Sports Institute) is uncertain about his recovery status."
Tze Yong, who is no longer in the race to qualify for the Paris Olympics, first sustained a lower back injury at the Malaysia Open in January. It was confirmed that he had suffered a spinal disc injury at the Asia Team Championships in Selangor a month later.
As a result, Tze Yong, who has played only one full match this year, was withdrawn from the European stops of the World Tour, as well as the recent Asian Championships in Ningbo, China.
However, last week, BAM announced that Tze Yong was among the lineup of men's singles players for the Thomas Cup.
If Tze Yong is not fit to play in the Thomas Cup, Rexy said the national body will be forced to replace him with a lower ranked men's singles shuttler or a doubles player.
