Kuala Lumpur: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) submitted a request for ranking protection to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) last week for World No. 18, Ng Tze Yong.
The development was shared by the Director of Coaching of the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM), Rexy Mainaky.
According to Mainaky, Ng Tze Yong will need to rest for another two to three months after undergoing a second surgery following a back injury suffered during the Malaysia Open in January.
He said the situation meant that Ng would also not be participating in the Malaysia Masters competition scheduled from May 21 to 26 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
“The latest report I received from the medical team states that Tze Yong needs to rest for another two to three months after undergoing the second surgery,” said Mainaky.
“So, he will definitely not be able to compete in the Malaysia Masters.”
“We have also sent a letter to the BWF last week to request ranking protection for Tze Yong,” added Mainaky.
Ranking protection can be requested by any player who falls ill or suffers an injury to the extent that they are unable to compete for a period ranging from three to 12 months.
Once in effect, it will protect the player’s original ranking so that they can continue to register their name for BWF World Tour events as soon as they return to fitness.
However, a player can only utilize this privilege when they are resting or recovering after their illness and it’s only up to a maximum of six months.
For the record, Ng Tze Yong only managed to compete in two tournaments this season, namely the Malaysia Open in January and the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) in Shah Alam in February.
