KUALA LUMPUR — As the Badminton World Championships in Copenhagen kick off today, the performance of Malaysian players is a concern.
Speaking to Scoop, sports analyst Mohd Sadek Mustaffa said that inconsistency has hindered the players’ progress to the final stages of previous World Tours this year, with the exception of a few players, such as women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah and men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
World number 11 Pearly-Thinaah last made it to the final of a World Tour event at the Malaysian Masters in May, where they lost to South Korea’s Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee.
Meanwhile, world number four Aaron-Wooi Yik reached the finals of the India Open in January and the Indonesia Open in June, losing both.
In contrast, Sadek said players from countries like South Korea, Japan, Thailand, China, India, and Denmark have exhibited remarkable consistency in both singles and doubles events.
“The objective of our players’ participation in this championship lies primarily in amassing Olympic qualification points and meticulously shaping their training for the impending BWF circuit tournaments, aiming to secure their places in the Paris Olympics.
“However, there is a noticeable problem with their mental readiness and fitness.
“They find it difficult to decipher their opponents’ strategies, which makes things even tougher for them.
“Because their usual ways of playing are easy to predict, they become more vulnerable to defeat, especially in the quarterfinals of this year’s BWF circuit,” he said.
Despite the presence of Malaysia’s badminton icon Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Sadek said that the essence of his dedication has not really influenced the way current players act and behave during their training.
“This difference is clear when we watch how they perform during their games.
“It is obvious that their level of dedication is not the same as Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s.
“To fix this, they must strive to elevate their physical prowess, tactical acumen, and skill development at all times,” said the Universiti Teknologi Mara senior sports science lecturer.
Sadek drew inspiration from an incident he recounted, where he witnessed Chong Wei’s unwavering commitment to training at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM).
He said such dedication sets a precedent, and that beyond the physicality, sports psychology takes precedence.
“Self-belief and heightened confidence in their ability to overpower opponents prove imperative in the arena of high-performance sports.”
Meanwhile, badminton legend Datuk James Selvaraj shared Sadek’s sentiment that Malaysian players face ongoing issues with their lack of versatility, making their games predictable to their opponents.
He said that the recurring issue lies in using ineffective strategies during crucial moments for both independent and national players.
“The need for strategic changes in the game plan when facing familiar opponents is essential, and coaches must take responsibility for guiding players with new strategies to adapt and succeed.
“They have been playing so many tournaments, everybody knows each other on how they play and what they do,” he told Scoop.
As such, Selvaraj cited an example of when India’s badminton star H. S. Prannoy faced China’s Weng Hong Yang in the Australian Open finals earlier this month.
“He was leading 19-14 (in the final set), Hong Yang was so tired but he kept going.
“Somehow, Prannoy lost concentration at one point, but his opponent caught up to him at 19-19 and eventually won the game,” he said.
The badminton world meet will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from August 21 to 27.
Last year in Tokyo, Aaron-Wooi Yik made history for Malaysia by clinching the country’s first World Championships title in 45 years. — August 21, 2023