PETALING JAYA: The relationship between men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi and Mohd Haikal Nazri is back to normal after the player personally apologised.
Herry revealed that Haikal met him a few days ago for a heart-to-heart talk over his decision to withdraw from the Swiss Open two weeks ago.
Herry admitted he was initially unhappy with the move, but his feelings eased after Haikal came forward to apologise, with the 63-year-old choosing not to dwell further on the matter.
“That’s it. Yesterday (March 26) evening he came to see me to apologise. I told him, ‘alright, what’s past is past. We start fresh,’” said Herry.
“That’s my character, I don’t like to hold grudges. They may make mistakes because they are still young. So I have forgiven him. It’s okay. Even God forgives us, so why shouldn’t we forgive each other? I’m fine with it.”
However, Herry stressed that Haikal’s apology should not remain verbal, and has asked the player to submit a written commitment to ensure the same issue does not recur.
“But he has promised to stay focused. I told him, ‘you must stay focused and you must commit’. A promise cannot just be words, you have to put it in writing, like an agreement, a letter stating ‘I must stay motivated’.
“If he does it again in the future, I will show him the letter. If it’s just spoken, it can be forgotten. That’s more or less it,” he added.
The conflict between Haikal and Herry began after the All-England, when the Kelantan-born player complained of an ankle injury and felt he was not in condition to perform, insisting on withdrawing from the Swiss Open.
However, Herry held a different view, believing that Haikal and his partner Choong Hon Jian were still fit to compete in Basel.
As a result, Herry instructed Haikal to handle the withdrawal process himself with the management.
