Zii Jia, who has been out of action since September, reflected on the ups and downs of the year, particularly on managing his health.

“There are days when I feel on top of the world, and there are days when I feel the effects of coming back from that ankle injury and the nagging back pain.

“Since my last competitive match at the China Masters in September, my team and I have been working closely with medical experts on how best to move forward in ensuring that I can compete to the best of my abilities,” he said in a post on Instagram.

Zii Jia’s team had announced that medical experts advised him to undergo an extensive rehabilitation programme for persistent low back pain. He had pulled out of the third game against Taiwan’s Lin Chun-Yi in the opening round of the China Masters 2025.

The shuttler subsequently missed several tournaments, including defending his Australian Open title. Zii Jia also discovered a passion for art during his time off.

“To say that it has been a rollercoaster of a year physically and emotionally would be an understatement, but there has also been a lot of discovery about myself, that art is something that I am fond of,” he said.

“My thanks go out to a lot of people, my family, friends, my team, my sponsors who have been in my corner since day one, and of course, the fans who I look forward to seeing again soon.”

Despite the setbacks, the 2021 All England champion remains motivated and determined to return to the court next year.