Absent Se Young hogs limelight in Malaysia Masters final
KUALA LUMPUR: The world No. 2 who beat the world No. 3 today, was left postulating how far ahead is the world No. 1.
That was how China's Wang Zhi Yi felt after successfully defending her Malaysia Masters title by beating compatriot Han Yue 13-21, 21-13, 21-18 in the women's singles final of the Malaysia Masters at Axiata Arena today.
The person on Zhi Yi's mind was not even at the venue. South Korean An Se Young, the numero uno, skipped the Malaysia Masters.
Zhi Yi, 25, pointed out that Se Young's current dominance is pushing the sport to new heights.
Zhi Yi echoed the sentiments of Japan's world No. 4 Akane Yamaguchi who said earlier this week that the rest of the world are still playing catch-up with Se Young.
"I think it's because she (Se Young) can maintain a very high level for a long time," said Zhi Yi.
"Whenever we play against her, it's a challenging situation, but having such a strong opponent is beneficial — it pushes us all to improve.
"She possesses many admirable qualities, and there's a lot we can learn from her."
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"If not spotted or addressed, it is essentially a ticking time bomb. Even a lesser instance of overextension or aggravation could cause a major episode. "You then have to determine whether there has been associated tears within the structures of the knee (involving the posterior cruciate ligament, lateral collateral ligament, medial lateral ligament, lateral meniscus and medial meniscus). "This is important for the surgeon to decide what needs to be done to ensure the knee can be restored to an optimum state. "The common practice nowadays is to take a sliver of ligament from the hamstring tendon. This way there is no issue with rejection or infections. "The surgeons nowadays are very good and have it down to a very fine science." Dr Ramlan added that in the past ligaments were usually taken from cadavers or the patient's own infrapatellar tendon - underneath the knee cap - though this is no longer the case today. The real work for Tze Yong, however, begins the moment the surgery is concluded. Dr Ramlan stressed that Tze Yong must be mentally prepared to fight his way back to fitness during the rehabilitation process. "After the operation there will have to be some wound care to make sure there are no infections, anything can happen, so this is important," said Dr Ramlan. "Then, as soon as possible, he will have to work on early mobilisation, this is the principle nowadays. This is to minimise muscle wastage as much as possible and overcome stiffness. "The athlete will probably be under the surgeon's physiotherapist (for conventional orthopedic rehabilitation) for the first two weeks but after that it is important to transition to sports (specific) rehabilitation which incorporates the basic principle of training in sports. "It is important to strengthen the muscles around the knees and ensure there is balance between them because these muscles all work in tandem. "Swelling is also expected during the first few weeks and there could also be post-exercise inflammation which can now be treated through cryotherapy. "The athlete must be prepared for this psychologically because the whole process will take time. In my experience, young patients want to get better yesterday (are impatient). Patience and resolve from the patient is imperative." Ramlan added that all parties involved in Tze Yong's rehabilitation process must work together hand in hand. This is especially important considering Tze Yong had previously undergone two procedures on his spine. "His attending doctor must get in contact with the surgeon who did the procedure for his spine and understand what the prognosis was. We have to get the facts right as we cannot afford to assume things," said Dr Ramlan. "It is important all parties work together closely, this includes the surgeon who does the knee surgery, the surgeon who did the spine surgery, the physiotherapist, the strength and conditioning coach as well as the (player's own) coach as well as the association. "The coach is the most important person when it comes to the rehabilitation process and must play an important role in overseeing the whole process. "The athlete can start with isometric exercises (to strengthen muscles) and then progress to isotonic exercises which includes open and closed chain exercises when he is ready. "Correct form is important. All this has to be monitored so there has to be strong cooperation from all parties because we (medical staff) cannot be with him all the time (once he has left hospital). "If I am taking care of a national player and have high hopes of him playing in the Olympics, this is how it has to be done. I cannot afford to leave any stone unturned. "The surgeon has already done his job but that is only 50 per cent of the story. He (surgeon) will not want his work to be undermined by shoddy work in the other 50 per cent (during rehabilitation)." Ramlan said Tze Yong could return to sports-specific training in nine months after the surgery though this depends on various factors. "It is important not to rush the process but at the same time we do not want to be going too slowly. This all depends on the judgement of the doctor in charge of the rehab process," said Dr Ramlan. "There really is no fixed period where I can say one period (of rehabilitation) ends and one starts. "However, I would be disappointed if we were not able to progress to some conditioning work by the fourth month and by the ninth month or so, he should be able to do some sports-specific conditioning work. "This would mean he would be able to train on court with a programme specifically tailored for him."
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