PETALING JAYA: The smiles are back on mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei’s faces after a tough month.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei are enjoying training together again after reuniting following a brief split due to a strained relationship over the past few months.
The world No. 4 pair’s good spirits was a boost for the Malaysian camp ahead of the Sudirman Cup from April 27-May 5 in Xiamen, China where they are set to play an important role.
Mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto is glad to see Tang Jie-Ee Wei had resolved their differences quickly and hopes that they would remain committed to their partnership moving forward.
“I can see that Tang Jie and Ee Wei are happy in training again. They informed me that they wanted to come back together last week,” said Nova after overseeing a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia yesterday.
“Earlier, our plan was to pair them up with other players first. We were not sure if they wanted to reunite or not.
“It was not up to us (coaches or the management) if they wanted to play together again but it had to be entirely up to them. I told them this.
“If we had forced them, they would listen to us at first but they may choose to split up again.
“They have managed to repair their relationship and I hope they realised their mistakes and stay committed,” added Nova.
After the Sudirman Cup, Tang Jie-Ee Wei will compete together again in the Singapore Open from May 27-June 1.
Nova though confirmed that the pair will still play with Chan Wen Tse and Loo Bing Kun respectively in the back-to-back Taiwan Open (May 6-11), Thailand Open (May 13-18) and Malaysian Masters (May 20-25) as planned.
“Yes, they will still play with the junior players for a short while,” said Nova.
“I don’t think splitting them up and pairing them with other players for a while will have adverse affect in their performances.
“Instead, they will have to guide the youngsters and cover them on court, so I hope this will push them to work harder when they resume their partnership.”
