A crestfallen Lee Chong Wei and the Malaysian Badminton Association (BAM) were left apologising to the nation after their Independence Day celebrations were soured by the much-loved shuttler's defeat in the world championship final.
World number one Lee had been tipped to land his first major title in the absence of great adversary Lin Dan but it was the double Olympic champion's Chinese compatriot Chen Long who dished out the punishment in Sunday's final in Denmark.
"I am disappointed with the way I played today. I guess my fans are also disappointed. I am sorry. I wanted so much to win it – but Chen Long was too aggressive," Lee was quoted as saying by Malaysian media after the 21-19, 21-19 loss.
"I tried ... but he was returning all my shots. I tried to break his rhythm and open up the game. I tried to play patiently but I was making some simple mistakes. He was just unstoppable."
Lee came into the event with concerns about a thigh muscle injury which had prevented his Commonwealth Games title defence and was also caught in a row between the BAM and his coach Rashid Sidek who was earlier banned from travelling to Denmark.
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