KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 11 -- Malaysia's top men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia will not defend his Australian Open crown after pulling out of this year's edition, scheduled from November 18 to 23 in Sydney.

According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) website, the 27-year-old has been listed under "withdrawn" alongside Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist Viktor Axelsen, Thailand's 2023 world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, and fellow Malaysian professionals Cheam June Wei and Jacky Kok Jing Hong.

Team LZJ has yet to officially explain the withdrawal, but the independent player has been nursing a persistent back injury since September.

On October 1, Team LZJ posted on Instagram that the Paris 2024 bronze medallist had been advised by a medi...