sports
I did not expect to lose, says Chong Wei after All-England defeat
Datuk Lee Chong Wei says he did not expect to lose in the first round of the All-England Badminton Championships. – Reuters file pic, March 10, 2016.Datuk Lee Chong Wei's surprise defeat in the first round of the All-England Badminton Championships to an unknown Indian player was totally unexpected and unpredicted, said his coach Hendrawan.
To be realistic, Lee's opponent, B. Sai Praneeth deserved to win because he was in outstanding form while Lee was not able to produce his best during the 22-24, 20-22 defeat at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.
"Sai Praneeth produced an excellent display of badminton today as he had nothing to lose. So, Chong Wei's loss was justified because he was not at his best," he said in a statement today.
Lee has won the All-England in 2010, 2011 and 2014.
"This is totally unexpected for me. I came here to win. Praneeth has improved a lot since we played in the Canada Open last year. I think he has a great future," Lee was quoted as saying in the BWF official website today.
Hendrawan added that Lee's loss would not disrupt his focus on preparations for the gold medal assault at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil. – Bernama, March 10, 2016.
Please note that you must sign up with disqus.com before commenting. And, please refrain from comments of a racist, sexist, personal, vulgar or derogatory nature and note that comments can be edited, rewritten for clarity or to avoid questionable issues. As comments are moderated, they may not appear immediately or even on the same day you posted them. We also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments