Badminton Association of Malaysia technical director Morten Frost said that the country's top-ranked Women's singles player Goh Jin Wei has not been truthful about her fitness in the recent past and that the 17-year-old needed to grow up.
The sixth seed Malaysian shuttler suffered a shock second-round exit at the season-opening Malaysia Masters last week after losing to unseeded Taiwanese shuttler Lee Hsin Chia in straight games - 12-21, 10-21. However, Jin Wei revealed that she had twisted her ankle during her first-round match and that she was not in her best condition at the tournament.
Notably, the world number 31, who also became the first Malaysian shuttler to win the World Junior Championships in 2015, carried a lot of hopes going in the tournament after top-ranked Men's shuttlers from the nation - Lee Chong Wei and Iskandar Zulkarnain - pulled out.
However, Jin Wei's early exit has left the badminton fraternity in the country disappointed. Frost believes that they have an issue with the teenager, who had told him before the Grand Prix Gold tournament that she was fit enough to participate. He also revealed that he was thinking about pulling the national number one out of next month's Badminton Asia Team Championships.
"She [Jin Wei] stopped training last Wednesday [before Malaysian Masters] saying she was injured. We sent her for an MRI and everything was fine. She also said she was okay two days before coming here but now she seemed to be injured again," Frost said, as quoted by The Star.
"Last year, she was not in good condition but insisted on playing in the Singapore Open. We have an issue with Jin Wei. She was not truthful about her condition. We have to nip it in the bud.
"Maybe she thinks she can get away because she has been doing well but she needs to grow up. What is okay during junior badminton is not okay in senior badminton. I am not angry but I am like a parent now. I have to teach them and tell them off if I need to."
Malaysia finished without titles both in Men's and Women's singles category but mixed doubles pairing of Tan Kian Meng/Lai Pei Jing saved the blushes for the hosts at the tournament. Notably, India's Saina Nehwal and Hong Kong shuttler Ng Ka Long took home the singles titles.
