PETALING JAYA: Finding a way to win when the day is not perfect is a quality top shuttlers should have in their locker.
And singles head coach Kenneth Jonassen wants Leong Jun Hao to master it.
Jun Hao showed he was able to do it during the recent Asia Mixed Team Champion-ships in China.
The world No. 28 Jun Hao was in a tough situation but came back from 17-20 behind to beat Indonesia’s world No. 63 Yohanes Saut Marcellyno 11-21, 22-20, 21-12 in the men’s singles.
His effort ended in vain as Malaysia lost 2-3 to Indonesia and failed to reach the quarter-finals.
“I look at the top players in the world and they will find a way to win regardless of whether it is a good, bad, beautiful or ugly victory. They don’t care. They find a way to get it done on the day,” said Jonassen.
“It’s important to find a way to get over the line when things are not perfect or look for a way to finish it off faster when everything is going good.
“Sometimes, you play perfectly and you still don’t secure the win. Many matches nowadays are so close because the level is very close between No. 1 to 70 in the rankings in the men’s singles.
“I think Jun Hao is slowly but surely getting there.
“He showed great fighting ability to find a way (against Yohanes) when the game was not good.
“He made a great comeback but only because he still believed he had a small chance when he was trailing 17-20.
“In the third game, he showed both stamina and determination to find a way to win. It means something about your fighting ability and your heart and he desperately wanted to win,” added Jonassen.
With the All-England from March 11-16 in Birmingham coming up, Jonassen hopes the win will give Jun Hao a boost after what has been a tough start to the year for him.
The 25-year-old suffered early round exits in the back-to-back Malaysian Open, Indian Open and Indonesian Masters last month.
Jun Hao’s sole victory in the three tournaments came in the Indian tourney when he toppled China’s world No. 6 Li Shifeng in the first round.
Jun Hao however lost against other Chinese players – Lu Guangzu in the home Open and Weng Hongyang twice in the second round in India and opening match in Indonesia.
“Jun Hao showed he can win ugly against Yohanes and knows that if he keeps fighting, he will get a chance,” said Jonassen.
“He has to progress in how to put together his game. He needs to accept that opponents will be studying his game and his journey forward will be trickier.
“I will be with him for the next three weeks and prepare him for the All-England. I need to discuss with him on how best to approach the tournament.”
Jonassen also stressed the importance of not making drastic changes to Jun Hao’s game but only adjusting a few aspects.
“It will be small steps for Jun Hao. If we try to make huge changes, the foundation of a player kind of disappears,” said Jonassen.
“For me it’s all about keeping the strength there and adjusting. It’s like making a puzzle. If you take all out, it’s very difficult to reconnect, so it takes small things. That’s why the process is a little longer,” he added.
Jun Hao will be making his debut in the All-England and will also compete in the Swiss Open from March 18-23 in Basel.
