Dubai World Superseries Finals 2017: Chen Long withdraws from season-ending event due to injury

Former Olympic and world champion Chen Long withdrew from the season-ending Dubai World Superseries Finals on Tuesday reportedly due to a knee injury. The 28-year-old Chinese shuttler confirmed his withdrawal from the Superseries Finals after the morning session. [caption id=“attachment_4217897” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Chen Long in action against Viktor Axelsen in the final of China Open. AFP[/caption] Edwin Leung, a badminton photographer, uploaded a Facebook " target="_blank">post on Tuesday stating that Chen had picked up an injury while training. Malaysian news website The Star Online confirmed the news on the eve of the showpiece event. The last-minute decision leaves the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in a quandry as the spot left vacant by Chen in Group A will not be filled by another player since the tournament rules do not have the provision for standby players after the draw, which was completed on Monday. Had Chen announced his decision to pull out before the draw, Wong Wi Ki Vincent would have been able to compete in the year-end tournament in Dubai. Chen’s withdrawal leaves Group A with just three men’s singles shuttlers — Son Wan Ho (South Korea), Ng Ka Long Angus (Hong Kong), and Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia). Notably, Chen has had a bad record when it comes to dealing with injuries. Since the start of the 2017 calendar year, the Chinese ace has been forced to skip a few tournaments due to multiple niggles and, despite winning the China Superseries Premier last month, it looks like Chen is yet to recover properly. On Wednesday, the first match of Group A in the men’s singles category will see Lee Chong Wei face Ng Ka Long Angus. Meanwhile, in Group B, Kidambi Srikanth (India) will take on Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) while Shi Yuqi (China) takes on Chou Tien Chen (Taiwan).