Playing in front of local supporters brings smile back to Tze Yong's face
Last year, the 25-year-old thought his badminton career was over when he was struggling with a persistent back injury.
Tze Yong suffered the injury in the Malaysian Open first round against Japan's Koki Watanabe at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
After undergoing two surgeries, the Johorean still could not shake off the issue.
Tze Yong though painstakingly underwent rehab and managed to recover and will be making his first appearance at home in the same venue in the Malaysian Masters today.
In his element: A cheerful Tze Yong during a training session. —AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star.
He will face Hong Kong's world No. 21 Angus Ng Ka Long in the first round.
Tze Yong is happy to be playing in front of the home fans again after coming close to giving up on the sport.
'It was a very difficult time for me last year as I was struggling to recover from my back injury,' said Tze Yong.
'Playing badminton is my passion but there were times when I thought my career was over.
'After two surgeries, the injury still did not heal and I was feeling confused.
'After undergoing rehab for a year, I slowly recovered and could compete again. It feels good to get to play at home again after quite long.'
Tze Yong was forced to miss last year's Malaysian Masters and the home Open in January due to his injury.
He shared that singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen's support helped him with his recovery and return to tournaments.
Jonassen joined the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in January.
'The coach trusts me a lot. When I was injured, he gave me lots of support,' said Tze Yong.
'He helped to ease the pressure on me and thanks to him, I could focus on my rehab without worrying too much about my future.'
Tze Yong made his competitive return at the Asian Championships last month in Ningbo, China, and also played in the Taiwan and Thailand Opens.
He lost in the first round in the three events and is hoping to get his first win to revive his career.
'I'm not feeling any pain anymore and my movement on court is getting better, so this is a positive for me although I lost all my matches so far,' said Tze Yong.
'For now, I'm looking at progressing in each match rather than only the results.
'I feel if I can win one match, it will boost my confidence and I can regain my old form faster.
'Against Angus, I'm the underdog but I will go all out to try to win.'
Meanwhile, Tze Yong's teammates Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh will also open their respective campaigns today against Ireland's Nhat Nguyen and Japan's Kodai Naraoka respectively.
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