Lee Chong Wei gave a friendly advice to former rival Lin Dan to consider retirement ahead of the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, considering the intensity of the men’s singles competition.
The former world number one recently attended to interviews requests from various media publications, with most of the interviews focusing on his on-court battles with the Chinese superstar.
"I think if I were him and my results were going against me, I would choose to retreat from the Olympics.
"He is already a great athlete. He has won everything the game has to offer, including the Olympics and World Championships.
"To compete at his fifth Olympics is no ordinary feat. He will have to face players [who are] 10 years his junior, some even 15 years.
"For an athlete his age to still pursue that ambition is exemplary," Lee said in a video conferencing session with the Chinese media.
As it stands, Lin Dan, who will be 37 when the Tokyo Olympics take place next year, is facing a tall order to qualify for it.
The two-time Olympics gold medalist is also far behind the pecking order, ranked the fifth Chinese shuttler in the road to Tokyo qualification, behind Chen Long, Shi Yuqi, Huang Yu Xiang and Lu Guang Zu.
Each country is allowed to send two shuttlers at the Olympics if they are both ranked in the world top 16.
Lin and Lee had previously expressed strong hopes of facing each other in Tokyo, but that dream did not materialise after the latter was forced to hang up his racquet last year to focus on his recovery from first-stage nose cancer.