Chong Wei wants duo to stay humble and work harder

PETALING JAYA: Former world No.1 shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei (pic) wants women’s doubles shuttler Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah to remain humble after their sensational French Open victory.

The pair created history when they stunned two-time world champions Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara of Japan in the final in Paris to become the first Malaysian women pair to win the title.

“Pearly with her attacking prowess and Thinaah with her defensive strokes and cross court net shots; these two princesses did us real proud by being the first French Open women’s double champion,” said Chong Wei.

“Personally, I think they can go far, further than most. Continue to be humble and train hard, the sky is the limit.

“Both of them are humble players always seeking advice from seniors like me. So I’m so happy they managed this feat. They fought hard to beat the best Indonesian, Korean and Japanese pairs to the title,” he said.

National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail also heaped praises on the pair.

“We want to congratulate Pearly-Thinaah in demonstrating extraordinary feats, not only achieving gold in the individual event of the Commonwealth Games, but also winning such a big event in the world stage.

“It’s still quite a way to the 2024 Paris Olympics to see if they have reached their potential.

“But we hope this is the beginning of a process that the pair can go through to prepare for the Olympics,” he added.