Badminton’s world number one Lee Chong Wei said Wednesday that becoming a father has changed his life, and that his wife is the secret of his success.
The Malaysian star revealed that he had been speaking to his wife, former badminton player Wong Mew Choo, every day after she was unable to join him at the world championships in Guangzhou because their three-month-old son Kingston is unwell.
“Being a father is definitely a big change. Wherever I go, I always think about my wife and my baby,” he told reporters, after battling through from a game down to win his second-round match 14-21, 21-18, 21-11 against Indonesia’s Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka.
“All the way here, I have been keeping in touch with my wife… she was supposed to come here to Guangzhou but because the baby was sick, she had to stay with the baby. We have been keeping in touch every day,” he added.
Lee, 30, compared his own family situation to that of arch rival Chinese superstar Lin Dan, who is married to former badminton world champion Xie Xingfang.
“For every successful man, there will always be a caring woman behind him,” Lee said.
“In my family, it is kind of similar to Lin Dan’s family. My wife also used to be a professional athlete and she really understands me, so even if there is some problem at home, she will hide it from me so that it won’t be bad for my training. I think she is a very caring supporter.”
Lin has beaten Lee in the last two Olympic finals, but it has not put the Malaysian off setting his sights on Rio.
“I will keep playing until the 2016 Olympics… I will keep myself healthy, with no injuries, and rest more and pay attention to what I eat. Most importantly, I will maintain my confidence,” Lee said. –AFP