Former national player Chan Peng Soon tells Chen Tang Jie to use Toh Ee Wei’s injury layoff as a chance to grow and strengthen his performance.
FORMER national shuttler Chan Peng Soon has advised Chen Tang Jie to use his partner’s recovery period to ‘reinvent’ his game.
Peng Soon, who went through a similar situation when his former partner Goh Liu Ying suffered a serious injury, advised Tang Jie not to let emotions slow his momentum. Instead, he should stay focused on intensive training.
He said Tang Jie’s temporary pairings with other players should be seen as a golden opportunity to learn to shoulder greater responsibility, especially in controlling the court more efficiently.
“The most important thing is to take care of your own condition and performance. Keep training as usual. Even if you’re paired with a younger player or different partners, that’s your chance to learn how to cover more of the court.
“This process will make you a stronger player. When Ee Wei returns, make sure your performance is still at the same level. That’s the most essential thing,” he told reporters recently.
Commenting on the emotional burden, the Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist admitted that feelings of sadness and worry are unavoidable when your regular partner is injured.
“The feeling is the same; it’s sad. It’s like having a healthy right foot but an injured left foot. Of course, your movement will be affected. Back then, Liu Ying and I were one unit, one partnership.
“Even though she was the one injured and I was healthy, it still affected my entire plan, the tournaments I wanted to enter, the targets I had set for the future. Everything takes a hit,” he said.
Earlier, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) confirmed that national mixed doubles shuttler Toh Ee Wei suffered a knee injury while competing in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open 2026 last month.
In a statement, BAM said MRI scan results revealed that Ee Wei has a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.
Meanwhile, national mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto said they are still waiting to determine whether Ee Wei will require surgery following her injury.
The Indonesian coach added that Tang Jie will temporarily partner Clarissa San at the China Open in Jiangsu from July 21 to 26.
