Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik
PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are open to reducing their number of tournaments next year as they bid to hit peak form in the biggest events.
Aaron-Wooi Yik competed in 22 tournaments this year including the SEA Games and Sudirman Cup.
The duo were in fine form in the first half of the year but struggled for consistency in the second half.
It is compulsory for players ranked in the world's top 10 to compete in at least 12 World Tour tournaments a year per Badminton World Federation (BWF) rules.
With the Asian Games, World Championships and Thomas Cup Finals also being held next year, Aaron-Wooi Yik will have at least 15 tournaments.
If the world No. 2 pair qualify for the season ending World Tour Finals, the number rises to 16.
Aaron believes making slight adjustments to their tournament calendar will be beneficial for him and Wooi Yik as they seek to remain sharp in the major competitions.
Aaron turns 29 next year while Wooi Yik will be 28.
"For next year, we will discuss with our coaches and make some adjustment to our tournaments. We will be cutting
down a bit," said Aaron after a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) yesterday.
"Perhaps we will play around 18 to 20 tournaments. We are going to try to make it below 20.
"We are not old yet but we are the most senior members in BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia), so we need to maintain our fitness levels.
"We have a good strength and conditioning team, so this is not a big problem for us.
On the pair's main targets next year, Aaron said: "We are aiming to do well in the Asian Games, world meet, Thomas Cup and Super 1000 tournaments.
"We also want to maintain our ranking in the world's top five. Although we believe that ranking is just a number, it does help with the tournament draws sometimes."
Aaron-Wooi Yik are currently preparing for the season curtain raiser - the Malaysian Open from Jan 6-11 at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil.
