REALITY CHECK FOR SHUTTLERS
Disappointing form from Malaysians at Malaysia Open smashes confidence for Sudirman Cup
IT’S a hard pill to swallow but the Malaysia Open serves a reality check for the national badminton squad ahead of next month’s Sudirman Cup and more importantly the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Former World No 1 Lee Chong Wei used to save the day for the country but this year the 12-time Malaysia Open champion is not around.
In fact this year’s Malaysia Open has not been “very Malaysian”.
A quick look at the last four
editions will give a clearer picture of how poor the Malaysian shuttlers have fared in the tournament as only Chong Wei and mixed doubles’ Chan Peng SoonGoh Liu Ying have advanced past the quarter-final stage.
Now how does this bode for the BA of Malaysia (BAM)?
However, BAM coaching director Wong Choong Hann is not pushing the panic button yet.
He admitted that the Malaysia Open has been a disappointing one for local players but it is not the end of the world.
Choong Hann, 42, has identified several key areas to work on.
“Yes, we must face the fact that the Malaysia Open this year has been disappointing.
“But we must understand, the players that we put so much expectation on are still very young and are only slowly beginning to understand the level of the big league.
“They have performed well in a couple of tournaments and immediately people look to them to deliver... this is something they must learn to deal with at this level.
“On my side, along with the rest of the coaches, we need to work together with these players, to build them up mentally and there’s still a lot to be done on their game and skill set.
“Overall, there has been progress because we cannot look at the Malaysia Open alone, although yes, it has been poor.
“This is a hard pill to swallow but it is necessary for the up and coming players.
“Once you do well, others are going to take notice. We must also accept the fact that other players are also training very hard, so it’s never going to be easy.
“It will eventually become easier when they start seeing a pattern,” said Choong Hann, who singled out players like national men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia, women’s singles, Goh Jin Wei and recent All England finalists, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
And Choong Hann may have a point because since the start of the BWF World Tour last year, Zii Jia has played in only seven Super 500 and above tournaments, Jin Wei (11) and Aaron-Wooi Yik (10).
“There is no need to press the panic button, I still stand by the players. We (coaches) must work with them to guide them,” added Choong Hann.
The Sudirman Cup will be held in Nanning, China on May 19-26, while the one-year Olympic qualifying period also begins in May.