Jeremy: It all boils down to self-belief

PETALING JAYA: Believe in yourselves and learn to manage all the expectations.

This is the message national doubles coach Jeremy Gan has for top men’s pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong.

The world No. 19 pair are facing a confidence crisis after a string of poor performances this year, most notably at last month’s SEA Games in Singapore where they lost to Indonesia’s Gideon Markus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the first round.

“They didn’t play well at the SEA Games in Singapore because they put too much pressure on themselves ... and ended up making too many mistakes,” said Jeremy.

“Maybe their performance in the Sudirman Cup, where they beat South Korea’s world No. 1 Lee Yongdae-Yoo Yeon-seong, led to the rise in expectations ... everyone expected them to keep on playing well.

“But it’s part of their learning process ... they need to learn how to manage all expectations.”

Jeremy hopes that the pair, especially the 26-year-old Wee Kiong, will take his advice to heart as they head for their next tournament – the Taiwan Open from July 14-19.

“Wee Kiong has got to be more stable on court. He’s the leader of the pair ... when he doesn’t play well, they both don’t play well,” explained Jeremy.

“Since the SEA Games, we’ve been working on preparing them mentally and helping them to regain their confidence. I just want them to go out and keep it simple ... don’t expect too much.

“Hopefully, they’ll do better in Taiwan.”

V Shem-Wee Kiong have a tough draw in Taiwan, as they are down to meet eighth seeds Kim Gi-jungKim Sa-rang of South Korea in the first round.

If they get past the Koreans, they’ll be up against either world No. 15 Angga Pratama-Ricky Karanda Suwardi of Indonesia or Thailand’s Bodin IssaraNipitphon Puangpuapech.

Top seeds Yong-dae-Yeon-seong await the winners of that tie in the quarter-finals.

The other Malaysian pair in the main draw of the Taiwan Open are independent shuttlers Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, who face Japan’s Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda in the first round.

Six other pairs – Mak Hee ChunTeo Kok Siang, Lee Yan Sheng-Lin Woon Fui, Jagdish Singh-Roni Tan Wee Long, Jimmy Tay Yu Lun-Yeoh Kay Ee, Hoon Thien How-Lim Khim Wah and Chooi Kah Ming-Ow Yao Han – will have to negotiate three rounds of qualifying matches.