<figure id="attachment_2821741" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2821741" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-2821741 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/7780d7ff-lee-zii-jia-bernama-pic-25724.webp" alt="Lee Zii Jia" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2821741" class="wp-caption-text">The Badminton World Federation website states that Lee Zii Jia will not be competing in the 2025 Japan Open. (Bernama pic)</figcaption></figure>
KUALA LUMPUR: Men&#8217;s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has withdrawn from the 2025 Japan Open Badminton Championships, slated to run from July 15 to July 20.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) website stated that the 27-year-old player would not be competing in the tournament.
However, no official statement has been issued by Team LZJ regarding his withdrawal.
Zii Jia injured his ankle during the World Tour Finals last December but made his return in March at the Orleans Masters, where he lost to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen 21-23, 7-21 in the quarter-finals.
He then competed in the 2025 All England Championships in Birmingham from March 11 to March 16, where he was knocked out in the first round by Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long, 21-19, 16-21, 12-21.
The world No 8 subsequently withdrew from the 2025 Swiss Open in Basel, Switzerland, held from March 18 to March 23, due to the same ankle injury.
Last Saturday, the National Sports Council (NSC) confirmed that Zii Jia was in good condition and said there was nothing to be concerned about regarding the cryptic social media sketches he had shared on Friday.
NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said the council, along with youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh, had contacted Team LZJ to seek clarification.
The cryptic post by Zii Jia, which garnered over 145,000 likes and more than 4,000 comments, has sparked speculation that he may be facing personal health or mental health issues.

MatchPoint Times

Zii Jia pulls out of Japan Open

However, no official statement has been issued by Team LZJ regarding his withdrawal.

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