BAM’s trusted Hend

Hard work: BAM coach Hendrawan (inset) says singles player Lee Zii Jia must put in a lot of effort to become a world beater and the Indonesian is ready to help him out.

KUALA LUMPUR: National coach Hendrawan was preparing himself for a supporting role in the men’s singles department after Datuk Lee Chong Wei called it quits last month.

But the Indonesian got more than he bargained for when he was handed two major responsibilities – to produce a winner at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and form a solid singles team for next year’s Thomas Cup Finals in Aarhus, Denmark.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) coaching director Wong Choong Hann has put Hendrawan in charge of the current cream of the crop – Lee Zii Jia, Soong Joo Ven, Cheam June Wei and Lim Chong King while head coach Datuk Misbun Sidek and Indra Wijaya handle Leong Jun Hao, Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, Ng Tze Yong, Tan Jia Wei, Lim Chi Wing and Muhd Ziyad Tah.

On paper, it looks tough for the 46-year-old Hendrawan but he is relishing the challenge.

“I’ve a massive task at hand, but I’ve to accept the challenge and try to justify BAM’s faith in me,” said the former world champion (2001, Seville) and Olympic silver medallist (2000, Sydney).

For the last four years, Hendrawan has been focusing on Chong Wei.

“After Chong Wei’s retirement, I thought I’ll be just assisting Misbun until my contract ends next year but I did not expect to be given such an important role,” said Hendrawan.

Asked whether he can turn world No. 18 Zii Jia into a medal contender at the Tokyo Olympics, Hendrawan offered no assurance.

“Zii Jia is still young and the sky’s the limit for him. He will improve by leaps and bounds in years to come,” he said.

“We need to work on his mental strength, attitude and determination for glory. There’s work to be done.

“Can he win an Olympic medal? It’s not impossible. It all boils down to mental readiness when it comes to a major tournament. There is no guarantee but I’ll prepare him.

On the Thomas Cup Finals, Hendrawan said: “We’ve to prepare early. We need three to four good singles players. In the past, we relied too much on Chong Wei in team events.”

Hendrawan, however, was quick to stress that it would take teamwork for Malaysia to be successful in both the Olympics and Thomas Cup.

He doesn’t see the latest arrangement of having two men’s singles groups create an unhealthy environment in the squad.

“I can’t do this alone. I’ll need to work hand-in-hand with Misbun and Indra to accomplish the tasks given. We will work and train together. Every player will be given equal opportunity,” he added.