Malaysian badminton great Lee Chong Wei is to seek the all-clear from his doctors in Taiwan after his treatment for nose cancer, and probably won't be back on the courts until next month, reports said Monday.
Despite earlier comments from Malaysia's badminton chief that Lee's return to the training courts was imminent, the 36-year-old said he still needed the green light from his specialists.
The three-time Olympic silver-medallist has spent nearly five months on the sidelines after being diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer and undergoing proton therapy and chemotherapy in Taiwan.
"I need to go for my follow-up check-up with doctors in Taiwan later this month, and see what they say then," Lee was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper, adding that January looked like the earliest he could come back.
"I've been constantly keeping in touch with them and they have reminded me to take it easy and not to rush it because this is not an injury. It takes time."