PETALING JAYA: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen has urged K. Letshanaa and Wong Ling Ching not to lose heart after struggling for results since stepping up to higher-level tournaments this year.
The Dane is not too worried by their recent early exits, but is more concerned about how they handle the mental challenges that come with this difficult phase of their careers.
Since reaching the quarter-finals of the Malaysian Masters in May, Letshanaa has not gone beyond the second round in her next six tournaments, most recently losing to China’s world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi in the second round of the China Masters.
Ling Ching has gone through a similar spell since March, with several early exits, including at her maiden World Championships in New Delhi two weeks ago.
Jonassen, however, wants both players to stay patient and keep working hard, believing the results will come if they continue to trust the process.
“Maybe you don’t taste the sweet right now. It would be highly unlikely that you suddenly go from entering these tournaments to being able to challenge the very best. It will be a process,” said Jonassen.
“This is a very hard process for every player to overcome individually, to understand that you are in it for the long term.
“If I don’t perform at my very highest and I play one of the world’s best, I get squashed. You have to accept that. It doesn’t mean you’ve done much wrong.
“It just means that you didn’t perform at your very highest. Young players will probably start to question themselves and ask, ‘What is wrong? What do I need to do?’
“Actually, this is part of the process. You need to trust that.
“There will be a lot of bumps on the road right now.’’
Letshanaa and Ling Ching will spearhead Malaysia’s challenge at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4, with both set to feature in the women’s team and individual events.
