KUALA LUMPUR: Men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong is ahead of schedule in his recovery following Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) surgery in July.
Tze Yong underwent surgery in July and has since begun light on-court training, though national coaching director Kenneth Jonassen stressed that the 25-year-old will not be rushed back into a full programme.
An ACL injury typically requires up to a year of rehabilitation, but Tze Yong has already been involved in skill-based sessions for the past two to three months.
However, Jonassen said the shuttler's progress will continue to depend on assessments from the medical experts overseeing his rehabilitation.
"Tze Yong has done an outstanding job and has already gone through several skill sessions," said Jonassen.
"These sessions have been ongoing for at least two to three months. The next step is continuous training that will really test his knee.
"However, his progress still depends on the tests he needs to go through. Once we receive positive results from those tests, we can move further.
"We need to listen to expert advice regarding his capability. We still have one or two more tests before making a decision.
"With an injury like this, we cannot rush. We need to see how his knee responds day by day."
Jonassen's cautious approach stems from the fact that Tze Yong suffered the ACL injury at the Malaysia Masters in May, just months after returning from a 13-month layoff following two back surgeries.
Despite this, Jonassen is hopeful that the world No. 207 will resume daily training in the near future, though no timeline has been set.
Tze Yong's drop in ranking means he will have to rebuild through International Challenge tournaments, after his six-month protected ranking — which allowed entry into Super 500 events and above — expired in September.
