KUALA LUMPUR: After missing most of the 2023 season due to injuries, men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh’s New Year resolution is to stay injury-free and break into the world’s top 30.
The 19-year-old, who underwent surgery after rupturing his left Achilles tendon in April and suffered a tear on his right heel early this month, hopes to improve his world ranking to be able to play against top shuttles in the higher-level Super 500 and Super 100 World Tour tournaments.
Having risen to his best position of 50th in May, his world ranking dipped to 67th after he missed a large chunk of tournaments because of his injuries.
Justin, who began the year by claiming the Uganda International Challenge title in February, also hopes to make it into the squad for the Thomas Cup, which will be held in Chengdu, China on April 27-May 5.
“I was very disappointed (after the injuries), but I am very focused on my badminton. The injury is healing well, hopefully, I can start training by next week.
“I did well after returning from the Achilles tendon rupture before suffering another setback with the tear on my right foot. However, this time (fortunately) it’s a minor injury and we don’t have any tournaments now, just preparing for next year.
“So, I have time to recover properly. To be on par with the top players, I need to improve on a lot of things, especially in terms of strength and power,” he said after a training session at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia here today.
Justin was ruled out for eight months after his Achilles tendon ruptured in April and returned to action at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow, India in late November, where he stunned compatriot Leong Jun Hao in the opening round before losing to Indonesian Alwi Farhan in the second round.
He avenged his defeat to Alwi to advance to the semi-finals of the Dec 5-10 Guwahati Masters in Assam, India before being struck by a right foot injury, forcing him to withdraw from the match against Alvi Wijaya Chairullah of Indonesia.
Justin, who is 180cm tall, admitted to putting more weight on his right leg after rupturing his left Achilles tendon.
“Yes, I was a little apprehensive after the Achilles injury and I put more weight on my right foot. But the coaches and the medical team have been reminding me to put equal weight on both legs,” he said.
Justin expects to return to action in the Thailand Masters in Bangkok from Jan 30 to Feb 4. – Bernama