INDONESIAN shuttler Anthony Ginting rallied behind compatriot Jonatan Christie’s struggle to live up to the expectations after his Asian Games men’s singles triumph four years ago, saying such phases happen to even the best athletes in the business.
Much was expected of Jonatan after his breakthrough win at the Asian Games in Jakarta. The 25-year-old shuttler had won several international titles, the last being the Swiss Open in March, but he was unable to make an impact in the major events like the Olympics and the World Championships.
Anthony secured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year while Jonatan fell in the last 16.
“Our situation sometimes, is the same. Jonatan did well in Europe but I wasn’t performing but I did better in the last few weeks. Players will have their good and bad times and I believe Jonatan will do well,” said Anthony.
“Both of us have struggled in different phases of our careers. We have won before and did not play well in some events but the most important thing is to rectify our mistakes and improve on our consistency.”
Yesterday, Anthony beat Sitthikom Thammasin of Thailand 21-18, 21-18 to set up a quarter-final clash with top seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
This time, Jonatan also advanced to the last eight after beating Kenta Nishimoto of Japan 21-18, 21-17 and will meet H.S. Prannoy of India next. Jonatan was hoping that the Asian Games in Hangzhou would help him to revive his fortunes but was disappointed after the event was postponed to next year.
“I was disappointed when the Asian Games was postponed but as a player, I have to learn to overcome such setbacks,” said Jonatan.
“Sometimes I play well but the outcome is not good and sometimes, I win despite not playing to my best. The goal is just to stay focused.”
