World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei had the option of giving the India Open a miss as he had become a father on April 12.
World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei had the option of giving the India Open a miss as he had become a father on April 12. But the 30-year-old Malaysian chose to play and win for his new-born Kingston Lee.
“My team sponsor is Yonex and it is my way of supporting my sponsors,” Lee Chong Wei told dna here on Wednesday after an easy opening round in which he defeated Ireland’s Scott Evans 21-16 21-5 in just 23 minutes. “My presence in this tournament is very important. I will miss my son but I want to win this tournament for my baby.”
Being the World No. 1 since October 1 last year, Wei has benefited mainly due to the break that Chinese former World No. 1 and Olympic champion Lin Dan took after winning the title at the London Games. About his rivalry with Dan, Wei said, “I know Lin Dan took rest for more than six months. He is not here but I cannot comment on other players. I just focus on my game.”
For the record, Wei’s head-to-head record against Dan is 9-21, the Chinese having a good measure of the Malaysian on more occasions.
There is an aura about Lee Chong Wei that has to be seen to be believed. Badminton fans are attracted to him, people take photographs with him and thrust whatever they could, be it a t-shirt or a cap or a piece of paper, for his autograph.
He spoke of the challenges of being on the top. “Being World No. 1 is very tough.
Everybody wants to beat me. I just try my best in every tournament; I don’t want to lose in the quarterfinals and the semifinals. I want to win every tournament,” said Wei, who finished runner-up to Dan in London Games last year.
Wei won the first India Open Super Series in 2011 while he finished runner-up last year.
Top-seeded here, he is keen to regain the title. “I’ll try my best to win the title. Last year I lost in the final. This time I want to do better.”
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