Bad flu forces Pearly to withdraw from Asia Championships

KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s doubles player Pearly Tan will skip the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai due to an illness.

The Badminton Association of Malaysia announced this on their official Twitter account today but did not disclose further details.

UPDATE: Pearly Tan withdraws from the Badminton Asia Championships 2023 due to illness.

Get well soon, Pearly!♥️#DemiMalaysia#BadmintonMalaysia pic.twitter.com/aVsqYV6dRo

— BAM (@BA_Malaysia) April 19, 2023

However, Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) high-performance director Tim Jones told The Vibes that Pearly is suffering from influenza.

“Bad flu is what I got from the medical team, but I have not spoken to her doctor yet. So, I do not have much information in hand.

“I think drips are pretty standard practice for adding fluids and medicine these days,” he said.

However, Tim added that the 23-year-old shuttler, who partners M. Thinaah and is ranked No. 8 in the world, is expected to recover in time for the Sudirman Cup, scheduled on May 14-21 in Suzhou, China. 

“For now, she needs rest so she can regain her strength,” he added.

Meanwhile, ABM doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said that Pearly was under the weather on Tuesday morning.

He added that the 23-year-old shuttler was admitted to a hospital today.

“She was doing well during training on Monday. She showed  commitment ahead of the BAC.

“But the next day, in the early morning she was shivering and feeling feverish. She said she could not breathe,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pearly posted an update on her Instagram of a photo in a hospital bed with no caption, only a flexed biceps emoji – probably indicating and reminding herself to stay strong.

She also did not indicate any type of illness, despite showing an intravenous drip needle in one hand – The Vibes, April 19, 2023