Tokyo: The World No. 1 men’s singles player Kento Momota of Japan has vowed to come back stronger after suffering a stunning 16-21, 19-21 quarter-final loss to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia at 2021 All England Championships last month.
“I have never lost to Lee Zii Jia before that game. I thought I could win. But in the end, I lost, which made me a little discouraged,” said Momota.
“However, I got a lot of positive things out of the defeat. I realized that I must practice hard and I am very motivated after the loss,” continued Momota.
A lot of fans asked me how could I get through this, I replied to them saying: “The best way to get over this is to admit my own weaknesses, improve them, and come back stronger.”
“When facing difficulties, a lot of people just running away from the problems. I could face my own problem firmly and steadily. I know I am not good enough, and it’s important to keep working hard and to improve everything,” Momota explained that facing and addressing his own problems was the correct approach to future success.
“Right now, I am feeling a little guilty for being ranked World No. 1. I want to turn this loss into motivation and make myself stronger in all aspects.”
Currently, Momota is training in Toyama Prefecture to get ready for the India Super 500 that will be held from May 11th to 16th.
The list of the India Open men’s singles seeds is as follows:
1. Kento Momota
2. Viktor Axelsen
3. Anders Antonsen
4. Lee Zii Jia
5. Shi Yu Qi
6. Rasmus Gemke
7. Kanta Tsuneyama
8. Srikanth Kidambi
