PETALING JAYA: Expectations may seem subdued for the women’s team in the upcoming Asian Team Championship from Feb 13-18 in Setia Alam but it does not put off national women’s singles shuttler K. Letshanaa.
World No. 60 Letshanaa has been given the opportunity to make her maiden appearance in the team meet, which serves as the qualifiers for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals from April 27-May 5 in Chengdu, China.
In the face of the trend where the women’s event tends to be overshadowed by the men’s team in Malaysia, Letshanaa is not one to be swayed by external perceptions.
Letshanaa said she is enthusiastic about joining forces with her teammates and is determined to give her best on the badminton court.
“The women’s team are still progressing towards the level of the men’s team, so I think people can’t expect that much from us,” said the 20-year-old Letshanaa.
“We want to avoid the pressure or negative comments that could affect our mental health and concentration because competing in high-level tournaments is never easy.
“It’s not that we’re entering the tournament without adequate preparation... we worked really hard but we are still in the process of growth.
“So it’s important for people to understand this and give us support to keep us going rather than criticise.
“Everyone at the BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) hopes that we can give our best but they are not pressuring us to achieve anything.
“I believe that if we do our best, we can produce something.
“We’re looking forward to competing in the tournament, so for now, we just want to give our best, not give up and see how it goes,” said Letshanaa, who believes that the performance of players is not solely determined by external expectations.
“It’s not about having more or less expectation... Everyone here has high expectations for every player,” said Letshanaa.
