KUALA LUMPUR – Lee Zii Jia’s tumultuous 2025 season has taken another dramatic turn, with the Paris Olympic bronze medallist being advised to undergo an extended rehabilitation program for persistent low back pain. In a statement released by Team LZJ, the world No. 43 confirmed that he will be sidelined for the entire month of October, forcing him to withdraw from the Denmark Open, French Open, and Hylo Open.
This latest setback casts a shadow over a year already plagued by injury and disappointing results. The announcement comes just two weeks after Lee was forced to retire from his opening match at the China Masters, a moment that reignited fears about his physical condition. It was the third consecutive first-round exit for the former All England champion since his return to competition in August.
Lee’s struggles began earlier this year when a right ankle injury sidelined him for five months. He attempted a comeback at the Paris World Championships, the same venue where he won his Olympic medal last year, but was eliminated in the first round. His subsequent early exits at the Hong Kong Open and the China Masters, where he was forced to concede the match to Taiwan’s Lin Chun Yi, highlight the immense challenges he has faced in regaining his form and fitness.
“2025 has indeed been a challenging season for Zii Jia, but his determination to overcome the challenges and support from fans as well as sponsors has been a huge motivational strength,” the team statement read, acknowledging the difficult road the shuttler has been on.
The timing of this injury is particularly critical for Lee’s long-term career. His protected ranking, which is currently at world No. 9 and allows him entry into all levels of World Tour events, is set to expire at the end of the year. With his current world ranking at No. 43 and no tournaments scheduled for October, Lee faces a race against time to accumulate the necessary points to stay within the world’s top 100. Failure to do so would be a catastrophic blow, forcing him to rebuild his career through lower-tier events, such as the International Challenge and International Series.
Such a scenario would severely hinder his preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where the Malaysian star has set his sights on improving on his bronze medal from Paris. For an athlete who has consistently aimed for the pinnacle of the sport, the prospect of starting from the ground up would be a daunting one, not just physically but mentally.
The badminton world will be watching closely as Lee Zii Jia embarks on his rehabilitation. His resilience has been tested time and again throughout this season, and his ability to bounce back from this latest injury will be a defining moment in his career. While the path ahead is uncertain, the support from his team and his fans, coupled with his unyielding determination, remain his biggest assets in the fight to return to the elite level of men’s singles badminton.