I NEED TIME, SAYS MISBUN

National men’s singles head coach admits there are no shortcuts to producing world beaters

MISBUN Sidek will need two to three years to produce top men’s singles stars. The national men’s singles head coach admitted that it took nearly five years to bring out the best in former World No 1 Lee Chong Wei. So expect no shortcuts.

According to Misbun, players like Lee Zii Jia, Leong Jun Hao, Cheam Jun Wei and Tan Jia Wei have got the potential to shine, but they must push hard and be willing to go the extra mile.

“I singled out these potential players, when I returned to BAM (BA of Malaysia) a year ago. However, I will need some time to polish them.

“Take Chong Wei for example, it took me a good five years to help him become a top gun on the international stage. I have only been here (BAM) for a year. So please give me some time,” said Misbun.

The national badminton camp are under pressure to produce the next big name in men’s singles, after Chong Wei — whom BAM have been depending on all these years — was diagnosed with nose cancer.

It is also uncertain if the 36-year-old will be able to return to court.

Misbun, considers the current crop of players as mid range shuttlers, as they have yet to go the distance to be world beaters.

“June Wei has won a title in The Netherlands (Dutch International), Zii Jia is slowly making a name for himself, Jun Hao bagged the Asian junior title last year, while Jia Wei was recently crowned Sukma (Malaysia Games) champion. These are all mid range achievements.

“To be considered a world beater in badminton, you need to be consistently playing in the BWF World Tour Super 750 and 100 tournaments. These players are just not there yet... so we need more time,” added Misbun.