Not fit for action: Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will not compete in the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China.
KUALA LUMPUR: National No. 1 mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei have been given some space to save their partnerships.
Coach Nova Widianto has issued a stern ultimatum to Tang Jie-Ee Wei, urging them to mend their differences and regain their best form ahead of the Sudirman Cup or face the prospect of being split up.
Sudirman Cup is from April 27-May 4 in Xiamen, China, and that means, they have less than two months to iron out their problems.
Nova revealed that he had decided to withdraw Tang Jie-Ee Wei from the upcoming Asian Championships in Ningbo, China, from April 8-13, as he felt they were not in the right state of mind to compete.
The world No. 4 pair had been struggling with internal conflicts following disappointing early exits at both the Orleans Masters and All-England, raising concerns over their chemistry on court.
The Indonesian coach disclosed that the root of their issues stemmed from their excessively high expectations of each other, which led to emotional struggles during matches.
He added that tensions between the two had been brewing for some time and were already evident during the Paris Olympic Games last year.
“This issue has been ongoing for some time. Whenever results don’t go their way, there always seems to be some tension in their partnership,” said Nova.
“For now, we have decided to withdraw them from the Asian Championships. We will reassess the situation later. I’ve informed the management, because I feel that they are not ready for this tournament.
“Off the court, they are fine. But on the court, they struggle to control their emotions. That’s the main issue. So, we decided to take a step back and put their tournament participation on hold for now,
“We’ll see how things go after the Asian Championships. But I hope they will be ready for the Sudirman Cup because this is for the country, not just for them as a pair,” said Nova when met after the BAM committee meeting at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
Nova is currently monitoring their progress and hopes they can restore their partnership on court.
However, should the situation remain unresolved, he will not hesitate to split them up for the Taiwan Open and Thailand Open in May.
“This will not involve Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin. We may split them up (Tang Jie and Ee Wei) and pair them with younger players, but it will all depend on their situation,” he added.
Meanwhile, BAM acting president Datuk V. Subramaniam, who chaired the performance task force committee meeting yesterday, said they needed more time to conclude on the national team’s disappointing outing at the All-England.
He said their post-mortem meeting also evaluated the players’ performance in three other tournaments in Europe including the German Open, Orleans Masters and Swiss Open.
“We are still in the process. There is nothing to report, nothing to explain, nothing to say.
“The process involves looking at many angles. It’s not something that can be assessed just like that.
“It will take a few days to look at many things,” he said.
In the All-England, only BAM’s Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and professionals Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie made it to the quarter-finals before losing.
