KUALA LUMPUR: Men’s doubles ace Aaron Chia sees no reason to worry or panic despite heading into two European tournaments, the Orleans Masters and All-England, with his right arm bandaged.
The 2022 world champion was seen with his arm wrapped during a training session at Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara on Friday (Feb 28), a day before leaving for France for the Orleans Masters, which begins on Tuesday (March 4).
Aaron dismissed any concerns, explaining that it was an old injury and would not affect his performance in Europe, especially at the prestigious All-England.
“This injury has always been there, whether I train hard or not. The key is how I manage it and prevent it from worsening," said Aaron.
“I can confidently say that I am fully fit because we did not compete in any tournaments throughout February and focused entirely on training.
He and his partner Soh Wooi Yik are eager to apply the strategies introduced by their new coach, Herry Iman Pierngadi, as they look to introduce a fresh approach to their game.
"We have only been training with coach Herry for about three weeks, trying to adapt to the game plan he has introduced.
"He is working on a more aggressive approach to help elevate our performance on the court.
"Actually, we have used this game plan in previous matches, but we lacked consistency. Hopefully, at the Orleans Masters and All-England, we can apply it more consistently, as this style of play is also one of our strengths," he added.
Aaron-Wooi Yik are the second seeds at the Orleans Masters and will wait for the winners from the qualifying rounds to determine their first round opponents.
