PETALING JAYA: National men's doubles player Mohd Haikal Nazri has opted to hit the reset button on his career after a difficult run of results, deciding to part ways with Choong Hon Jian in a bid to rebuild from the ground up.
With the pressure off as he begins anew, Haikal is targeting a place in the world's top 32 by the end of the year alongside his new partner, Bryan Jeremy Goonting.
Haikal admited that he was unable to endure slide in form with Hon Jian, and took the initiative to seek advice from men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
"I was actually the one who requested it from the coach after Hari Raya," said the 23-year-old Haikal.
"I asked for his opinion because, based on our results and performance, things weren’t going well.
"We were mostly losing in the first round and injuries affected us on both sides at different times.
"So I asked the coach if I could start from the bottom again."
Haikal and Hon Jian, who formed their partnership in 2023, initially showed strong promise after finishing runners-up at the Indonesian Masters before going on to clinch titles at the Syed Modi International and Guwahati Masters.
They continued their fine form by capturing the Orleans Masters crown in 2024 and even rose to a career-high world No. 18 at one stage.
However, recurring injuries to both players at different periods disrupted their momentum, leading to a dip in form and a loss of confidence.
Haikal is hoping his new journey with Bryan will flourish.
"Confidence-wise, there’s no pressure right now because we’re starting from scratch again," said Haikal.
"My target for this new partnership is to break into the top 32 in the world rankings by the end of this year."
Haikal also pointed to a key difference in his new partnership with Bryan, particularly in their on-court combination and roles.
"The most noticeable difference is that before, both of us were left-handed," he said.
"Now, I’m left-handed and Bryan is right-handed.
"I mostly play at the front, while Bryan plays more from the baseline.
"Tactically, I think it’s quite similar, not a huge difference from my previous partnership.
"Bryan is still new, so I need to guide him, but both he and Vin Sean are mature players."
Hon Jian will now partner Wong Vin Sean and both pairs will make their debut at the Thailand Open from May 12-17, followed by Malaysian Masters (May 19-24) and Macau Open (June 16-21).
