Malaysian badminton player Lee Chong Wei reacts during a training session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jan. 7, 2019. Lee Chong Wei took to the badminton court for the first time on Monday after a six-month lay-off. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei took to the badminton court on Monday for the first time after a six-month lay-off.
Lee, who was diagnosed with early stage nose cancer in July last year, said he would focus on recovering his muscle mass which had been lost after months of not being able to train.
"I am taking it easy with training," he said. "Today is the first day and so far everything is fine. It is light training and the doctor advised me to train at 30 percent instead of 100 percent."
"I lost some muscle over these few months. It is more important to build my muscles first."
Lee added that the court "felt bigger" after his absence of nearly half a year, but expressed confidence that he would quickly get up to speed.
"Today is the first day and I feel spirited. It is important to build confidence," he said.
The 36-year-old former world no. 1 said his illness had not diminished his skills and that he would be able to perform after recovering physically.
"I want to train more but I want to avoid any injuries. I've lost muscle after not training for months. I want to build my muscles and build my strength first," he said.
His coach Hendrawan said Lee appeared "calm and happy" and expressed confidence that he would return to peak ability in due course.
"His skill level will not drop but he has not trained for six months. It will take some time to return to peak ability."
Hendrawan added that it was the first time he had picked up his racquet to train since his sickness last year.
Lee's last appearance on the field was at the Indonesia Open in July last year, where he lost to current world no. 1 Kento Momota of Japan in the semifinals.
Lee had previously said that he was targeting qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and that his first tournament could be the Malaysian Open in April.
