Lee hoping to be ready for Rio Olympics

The retirement talks of world No 1 Lee Chong Wei have been doing the rounds for some time now. At the All England last month where he won his third title, he said it could be his last in the prestigious tournament.

After reaching the semifinals of the India Open on Friday, the 31-year-old Malaysian said he has no plans to go away before taking another shot at the elusive Olympics medal. The 2016 Rio Olympics is the target for Chong Wei now and he would take a decision on his retirement after that.

Over the years, Chong Wei has developed a good fan following in India and even participated in the Indian Badminton League, playing for the Mumbai team last season. "Every year, I enjoy being here for the India Open. Thanks to the organisers and sponsors, they always call me to come to India Open and I enjoy here,"

“If I stay injury free, I will play in the 2016 Rio Olympics. There are so many important tournaments this year including the World Championships. My target this year is also the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games because it comes every four years and I will retire before the next. So these two tournaments would be very important for me," he said.

Asked whether winning the world championships is also on his mind, Lee said: "Yes. I think it is Commonwealth Games, then World championship and then Asian games. Also there is (the) Thomas Cup in May."