KUALA LUMPUR: National back-up players must wake up and start taking their badminton careers seriously.
World champion Aaron Chia has urged younger players in the national squad to double their efforts in pursuit of success instead of relying on senior players to shoulder the responsibility.
His concern comes in the wake of disappointing performances from several back-up players at the ongoing Sri Lanka International Challenge.
The biggest letdown came from top seeds Fazriq Razif, son of national legend Datuk Razif Sidek, and his partner Bryan Jeremy Goonting, who crashed out in the first round after losing 20-22, 19-21 to Taiwan’s qualifying pair, Huan Tsung-i and Lin Ting-yu.
Mohd Faiq Haziq Masawi-Lok Hong and Goh Yi Qin-Toh E Hern also suffered early exits, while fourth seeds Goh Boon Zhe-Wong Vin Sean fell in the second round to Indonesia’s Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin, 14-21, 18-21.
Over in Germany, world junior champions Aaron Tai and Khang Khai Xing also stumbled in the opening round at the German Open, losing to the United States’ Presley Smith and Chen Zhi Yi.
Aaron believes some players may be feeling too comfortable and are not experiencing the same pressure as their senior counterparts, which could explain their lack of intensity on the court.
“I do not think the problem lies with the facilities and benefits provided by BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia). Perhaps some of them do not feel the same pressure because they come from comfortable family backgrounds,” said Aaron.
“For us senior players, we may not be as privileged, just doing okay. That is why we work hard, because this is our career, our livelihood, and we want to keep going.
Even so, Aaron still believes that the back-up players have potential. However, success does not come easily, and they must be willing to work hard to improve themselves and have the desire to be the best.
“In my opinion and based on my observations, when we as senior players train alongside the juniors, everything goes smoothly. They may not be used to maintaining consistency in tournaments and often make mistakes because they overthink. What I can advise is to focus more during training and push a little harder.
“When I was in the junior squad, I did not overthink. I trained with full commitment, took every opportunity to compete, performed my best in tournaments, and if there was a chance to upset a top player, I went for it.
“That is the only way to rise quickly in the team,” he added.
Sharing the same view as Aaron, men’s doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi believes the situation among the back-up players is not critical and that they can still be nurtured.
However, Herry has asked for time to transform them, not only in terms of technical skills but also in strengthening their mentality when competing on the court.
“In training, I can see progress, and they look good on the court every day. But competing and training are two different things. Some players perform exceptionally well in practice, but their mentality drops during matches.
“That is why I need time to make adjustments and implement a game plan that suits them,” said Herry.
