Lin Dan pulls out of Hong Kong Open
Chinese badminton star says he has yet to fully recover from an operation three weeks ago on his knee
Injured Lin Dan pulled out of the Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open on Tuesday, dealing another blow to the US$350,000 badminton tournament following the absence of world number one Lee Chong Wei.
The two world stars were expected to continue their rivalry in Hong Kong after their semi-final clash at the Asian Games in Incheon in September when the first entry list was announced.
But Malaysian Lee is still fighting a doping case, while China star Lin cited injury after an operation three weeks ago to remove excess water from his knee. He played in last week's China Open Super Series, where he suffered a shock loss to Indian Kidambi Srikanth in the final.
We learned about it at the team managers' meeting and there is nothing we can do. If the player is injured, the best thing for him is to rest
"We are also very disappointed to learn Lin has withdrawn," said Hong Kong Badminton Association honorary secretary Chow Yat-kwong. "We learned about it at the team managers' meeting and there is nothing we can do. If the player is injured, the best thing for him is to rest."
Lin was in Hong Kong on Monday for a commercial engagement and said he would try his best to start as the Hong Kong event was one of his favourites.
It was reported on the mainland that Lin had signed a sponsorship deal with Yonex, title sponsor of the tournament, and expectations were high Lin would appear at Hong Kong Coliseum.
Lin has missed the past two Hong Kong Opens since his victory in the 2012 London Olympic Games. He was the champion in 2011 when he defeated compatriot Chen Jin but the year before he withdrew before his quarter-final, citing injury.
Organisers, however, still remain confident that attendances will not be affected.