BAM coaching director Choong Hann cracks the whip on singles trio.

PETALING JAYA: National men’s singles ace Lee Chong Wei faces the gloomy prospect of dropping out of the world’s top 100 by the end of next month - if he skips the Celcom Axiata Malaysian Open from April 2-7.

The 36-year-old is slated to make his first competitive appearance in eight months by defending his title at Axiata Arena, but that depends on whether he gets clearance to play from his doctors in Taiwan on Monday.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria had on Thursday told the fans to “lower their expectations” on Chong Wei’s participation next week.

Chong Wei has already slipped 10 rungs to No. 41 in the latest BWF world rankings and the drop looks set to continue due to continuous inactivity.

Besides the prospect of not defending his title-winning points at the Malaysian Open, the three-time Olympic silver medallist will also lose many points from not playing in the Asian Badminton Championships in Wuhan from April 23-28. He was the semi-finalist, also in Wuhan, last year.

But a drastic dip in ranking will not disrupt Chong Wei’s tournament planning over the next six-month period, starting from the first tournament he returns to action.

He has a protected ranking of No. 3 applied last August and thus would still have access to all the top-tier tournaments on the World Tour regardless of how his ranking has dropped.

However, Chong Wei will find himself in a race against time with the Tokyo Olympics’ one-year qualifying period commencing on May 1.

The former world No. 1 also faces competition from compatriots Lee Zii Jia and Liew Daren, the world No. 20 and No. 23, to qualify.

Only a maximum of two players can represent a country if both of them are ranked in the world’s top 16.

BAM coaching director Wong Choong Hann is cool about the tricky situation faced by Chong Wei.

“We believe in Chong Wei’s capability and we have no doubt he will make it back to the top. It’s not a matter of whether he can, but when,” said Choong Hann.

“Even if he misses his targeted return at the Malaysian Open, it doesn’t affect his chances to qualify for the Olympics at all because only the points from tournaments beginning May will be counted for qualification purposes.

“And in the one-year period, there are more than 20 tournaments. There’s still time for him to get back into top form.

“He just has to brace himself for a tough start upon returning as an unseeded player, as he could be drawn against top opponents.”

Should Chong Wei delay his return, he is expected to pick the Sudirman Cup in Nanning, China, from May 19-26 for his return.