Lee Zii Jia, the Malaysian badminton player, suffered a significant right ankle ligament injury during the BWF World Tour Finals in December 2024. This injury had a major impact on his 2025 season, causing him to miss five months of competition and forcing him to withdraw from several major tournaments such as the Malaysia Open, Swiss Open, US Open, and Japan Open 2025. He attempted a comeback earlier in 2025 but had to pull out due to the injury not being fully healed. Lee also revealed that during his time away from the court, he struggled with depression and found it mentally tough to deal with the injury. He openly shared how the injury affected him both physically and mentally, stating that it was his first big injury experience and that he felt quite shocked and clueless at first. In August 2025, Lee Zii Jia made his return to competitive play at the BWF World Championships in Paris, a venue where he had won an Olympic bronze medal the previous year. Despite his early exit in the first round, he confirmed that his injury is healed and that he was focusing on regaining his tournament form and fitness. He asked his fans for patience as he works to return to his previous performance level. Lee also decided not to join the Road to Gold (RTG) programme while still recovering, feeling that support should go to peers who were competing actively. His coaching director had also left the team at the end of 2024. Despite the setbacks, Lee remains committed to a cautious and careful recovery process, aiming to return to top- level badminton in the near future.