PETALING JAYA: Winning a title is never easy, but defending it is even tougher.
Women’s doubles head coach Rosman Razak knows the task ahead will be demanding for Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah as they look to build on last year’s success.
Pearly-Thinaah claimed their first title of the season at the Indonesian Masters last week after receiving a walkover in the final following the withdrawal of Japan’s Arisa Igarashi-Miyu Takahashi.
To match their achievements from last season, the pair will need to add three more titles this year.
Last year, Pearly-Thinaah reached eight finals and captured four titles at the Thailand Open, Arctic Open, Japan Masters and the Thailand SEA Games.
Rosman said the duo must embrace the challenge of staying consistent, especially with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games just two years away, where they are expected to be among the country’s main medal prospects.
“Honestly, their achievements last year came quite suddenly. They reached eight finals, something we ourselves did not expect. Once that happens, expectations naturally rise,” said Rosman.
“We know we are among the top four pairs, even though our world ranking is number two.
‘‘We must take this as a challenge to at least maintain what we achieved last year.
“Our long term plan is to qualify for the Olympics and challenge for a medal there. These are players we need to rely on for the long run, so we have to manage their emotions and pressure levels carefully.”
However, Rosman believes that Pearly and Thinaah have the mentality to cope with the pressure that comes with their status as elite players on the world stage.
“I always think about long term progress. We know what the long term targets are, but the journey will always come with ups and downs.
‘‘What matters most, in my view, is how they respond when they are down or when performances dip.
“That is when our responsibility increases, to lift them back up, because there is no escaping the pressure and high expectations. That is simply the reality of life as a top level doubles pair,” he added.
Pearly-Thinaah are now stepping up their preparations for next month’s European tour, with the All England, scheduled from March 3-8, their main focus.
