Tze Yong Set For Intense Training Ahead Of April Comeback - Jonassen

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 (Bernama) -- National men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong will have more on-court training sessions starting next week in preparation for his first tournament in April since returning from his back injury sustained last year.

National singles head coach Kenneth Jonassen said the decision was made as the 24-year-old has shown improvement in training and will gradually increase his intensity.

He said this new training regime will be a different experience for Tze Yong, and he will carefully manage the player's workload.

"We had a good meeting earlier this week where we agreed on his programme, and I’m quite impressed with his progress. Starting next week, he will train four times a week with 100 per cent intensity.

"However, I don’t want to push him too hard too soon. Next week will be the first time he trains for two consecutive days, followed by a rest day, then another two days of training. This will be a different experience for him, so I need to carefully manage his workload as part of his long-term recovery,” he told the media after the national badminton team's training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia here today.

Earlier, the media reported that Tze Yong had resumed on-court training in early February, but sessions were limited to under an hour to prevent overtraining and ensure a smooth recovery process.

Meanwhile, when asked about the tournament Tze Yong will enter in April, Jonassen said the player might compete in a lower-tier event to regain his competitive edge.

“It's very important that we ease him into competition with some lower-tier tournaments. We hope the progression will allow him to build up his form gradually,” he said.

-- BERNAMA