PETALING JAYA: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen does not want promises from Leong Jun Hao, but wants him to walk the talk if he hopes to remain in the national squad.
Despite the disciplinary issues surrounding Jun Hao, coupled with his first round exit in the Malaysian Masters on Wednesday, Jonassen is still willing to give him a chance to turn things around.
However, all of that will mean little if Jun Hao does not show signs of improvement, especially in training.
The Danish coach pointed to the progress made in the women’s singles squad as an example, with the players there gradually beginning to show improvement.
As such, he hopes Jun Hao will stop making excuses and work on improving himself so that he can get his career back on track.
"First of all, I strongly believe in giving players a last chance, as long as they understand that from this point, they must make the necessary changes.
"As I said, we can give the best advice, the best plan and the best opportunities, but if you are not willing to invest everything and do your part, then you will not go far.
"This is the point where players must, as I said about the women’s singles, look in the mirror. There is no point looking for magic dust.
"It takes hard work and accepting that maybe we are flawed at the moment, but we can rectify that and become better if we are willing to go through a longer process.
"There is no one shot I can call that will suddenly take us from where we are to world class. It is about many little things, and that takes time. That is the acceptance all players must have," said Jonassen.
No timeline has been set for Jun Hao, but the main change Jonassen wants to see is a stronger commitment from the 27-year-old in training.
As such, Jonassen intends to push Jun Hao and the rest of the players harder in training to ensure they give their full commitment in every session.
"For me, part of it is intensity in training. Training is not just training for the sake of it. It is always preparation for the next tournament, and that has to be the mindset.
"It is not something I just come in and do. If I go to the gym, I am there to get stronger. If I go on court, I am there with a specific plan, not just to get through two hours. I need targets and I need to know what I want to achieve as a player.
"As coaches, we can provide a programme, but every player who comes in must have that mindset of asking themselves, ‘How do I become better today?’” he added.
