PETALING JAYA: Trust the process.
That is the message independent doubles head coach Ameer Amri Zainuddin has for Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie as the husband-and-wife pair continue their search for a way out of their recent slump.
Despite a string of disappointing results, Ameer remains confident that Soon Huat-Shevon can turn things around as long as they continue working hard and believing in themselves.
The pair will be hoping to make a fresh start at the Japan Masters in Kumamoto today after suffering a first-round exit in last year’s edition despite being seeded sixth.
This time, they will open their campaign against China’s Zhu Yijun-Li Qian, with a potentially tougher challenge awaiting them in the second round.
Should they progress, they could face either Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami-Sayaka Hobara or fellow Malaysians Chen Tang Jie-Chan Wen Tse for a place in the quarter-finals.
Ameer acknowledged that Soon Huat-Shevon were going through a difficult period but believes the experienced pair still have plenty to offer.
“I think every pair goes through ups and downs. There will be times when their performances dip, and sometimes even they do not know why it is happening.
“What matters to me is how we look at the situation and try to stay positive. My job is to make sure they continue training and maintain their momentum.
“I believe that as long as we stay positive and have faith in their abilities, the results will eventually come. For now, we just need to get through this difficult period,” said Ameer.
Despite their struggles, Ameer was pleased that Soon Huat-Shevon had not allowed their disappointing results to affect their commitment in training.
“Of course, they feel down at times, but they still turn up for training, show a good attitude and remain positive.
“At their age, I think that is something worth appreciating, and I hope I can help them regain their confidence,” he added.
Soon Huat-Shevon had earlier failed to achieve their target of winning a medal in their final Asian Games appearance in Aichi-Nagoya in September.
Their struggles continued during the European leg last month, where they suffered early exits at the Arctic Open, Denmark Open and French Open.
