MISBUN’S FIGHTING WORDS
Coach challenges shuttlers to upset world’s top players
DESPITE the odds heavily stacked against them, Misbun Sidek wants his charges to rise to the occasion at the Sudirman Cup in Nanning, China on May 19-26.
According to the national men’s singles head coach, players like Lee Zii Jia, Cheam June Wei, and Soong Joo Ven must take up the challenge and use it as a motivation to upset some of the world’s best.
Malaysia are in Group D with 10-time winners China and last year’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games champions India.
On paper, Zii Jia is Malaysia’s best bet to take to court in both group ties, but even
then, the men's singles boasted by both China and India are ranked higher than the Malaysian World No 21.
Favourites China have named reigning Olympic champion Chen Long (World No 5), Shi Yuqi (No 2) and Lu Guangzhu (No 17) in their squad, while India have K. Srikanth (No 9) and Sameer Verma (No 13).
Misbun said: “Yes, I am well aware of the uphill task faced by our players but are they going to give up even before fighting?
“I want to challenge them, I want them to focus on their strength and use the Sudirman Cup as a platform to stamp their mark.
“If they don’t do it now, then when?” Misbun added that consistency from Zii Jia could be vital for the national squad, and for the 21-year-old to realise that others are keeping close tabs on him.
“Zii Jia to me is already up there, he needs to accept the fact.
“Of course, he is not as consistent, but if you look at the opponents he has been up against in the last few tournaments, you would know that.
“He must up his game, work really hard and find ways to become a more consistent player.”
After suffering a drop in form for about two months, Zii Jia, showed some glimmer of hope when he bounced back to reach the quarter-finals of the New Zealand Open last week.
For the record, the Kedah-born has upset the likes of World No 4 Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan and World No 10 Kenta Nishimoto of Japan, so far this season.