PETALING JAYA: A sincere apology can go a long way, but at times it needs to be put in writing to ensure the same mistake is not repeated.
That was among the requests made by national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi to Mohd Haikal Nazri after the situation between them eased.
The 63-year-old coach has forgiven Haikal after the two met for a heart-to-heart discussion over the player’s insistence on withdrawing from the Swiss Open two weeks ago.
However, Herry is not satisfied with a verbal apology alone, insisting that the Kelantan-born player submit a written commitment and show his focus on court.
“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,” said Herry.
Herry acknowledged that Haikal may still be young and prone to making mistakes, which is why he chose to forgive him and move forward.
He has also not sidelined Haikal and his partner Choong Hon Jian, even though they will not be competing in the Asian Championships in Ningbo starting on April 7.
Instead, Herry still wants them to assist their teammates Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King who will be taking part.
“That’s it. Yesterday (Thursday) evening he came to see me to apologise. I told him, ‘alright, what’s past is past. We start fresh’. 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,” he said.
The conflict between Haikal and Herry began after the All-England, when the 23 year-old complained of an ankle injury and felt he was not in the right condition to perform, insisting on withdrawing from the Swiss Open.
However, Herry held a different view, believing that Haikal and Hon Jian were still fit to compete in Basel. As a result, Herry instructed Haikal to handle the withdrawal process himself with the management.
