Lee Chong Wei has revealed that both his coaches and doctors were happy with his recovery from a knee injury and have declared him "fit enough" to compete at the All England Championships, starting 7 March.
The world number one shuttler suffered the medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear in his knee when he fell on a slippery mat while training at the newly-opened BAM academy in Bukit Kiara, last month. It was initially revealed that Chong Wei's hopes of participating in All England Championships suffered a big blow as he was expected to be out for three to six weeks.
However, Chong Wei, who is the top seed at the Superseries Premier tournament, was persistent that he was not giving up hopes of travelling to Birmingham. His coach Hendrawan had also revealed last week that the Malaysian shuttler was making steady recovery and that he had participated in large range training.
Having missed season-opening tournaments including his title defense at the Malaysian Masters, Chong Wei had said that his primary target this season was to win his first title at the Badminton World Championships in August after which the 34-year-old would take a call on whether or not to continue playing at the international level.
The three time champion conceded that he is not fully fit but wants to enjoy what will possibly be his last All England campaign. Notably, reigning Olympic champion Chong Wei is in the same half as China's Chen Long, Tian Houwei and South Korea's Son Wan Ho. Lin Dan, who is seeded sixth, will also have top-ranked Danish shuttler Jan O Jorgensen and Viktor Axelsen in his half.
"The decision was made yesterday. Both my coaches and doctors agreed that I am fit enough to compete. I still feel a little pain and I am not at 100% right now. So, it will be tough ... but I have already made up my mind to go and I will just need to prepare myself mentally," Chong Wei said on Wednesday, as quoted by The Star.
"This will be my first tournament in a while and I'm really just going there to try and get a feel of competitive action.
"I am building up for the World Championships in August ... this is really the start of the season for me. Besides, this is possibly my last time competing in the All-England, so I am just hoping to enjoy my game there."
