KUALA LUMPUR – When it comes to the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China happening on December 13 to 17, the national top men’s doubles pair knows one thing for sure – strategy will make all the difference.
Soh Wooi Yik told reporters today at Akademi Badminton Malaysia that all the top pairs in the world have pretty much the same attributes, but how they approach the match is what will determine the winner.
“The strategy that we bring to the court during the World Tour Finals is very important.
“We need to have a solid game plan and look out for how our opponents adapt and change their strategy during the game.
“This is what Aaron (Chia) and I always discuss with our coaches: what are our opponent’s weaknesses so we can find opportunities to win points.
“This is also the focus of our training this week, as we focused on strength and fitness last week,” he said.
Wooi Yik spilled the beans on his preparation secret, which is to study footage of his opponents before going to bed, to learn their tendencies on the court.
“I will watch YouTube videos of my opponents before going to bed, and then after that, when I come to training, I will try out strategies that I think will work against them.
“I think this is something that all the top pairs will do to get to know their opponents,” he said.
Looking forward to next year, Wooi Yik said his focus is solely on qualifying for and playing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Aaron and Wooi Yik are the only Malaysian players whose spot in next year’s Games is secured, with the former world champions second on the BWF’s Race to Paris rankings.
“There are a lot of tournaments next year, but I’m only thinking about the Olympics.
“I don’t want to focus on the other tournaments and invite unnecessary pressure on myself so that I can get to Paris and perform well,” said the 25-year-old.
He added that the Chinese world number one pair, Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang, and India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty are their main contenders heading to Paris.
“Liang-Wang and Rankireddy-Shetty are challenging pairs; they are consistent at the Tour level.
“They are always in the semifinals and finals of every tournament that they play, so they won’t be easy to deal with at the Olympics,” he added. – December 6, 2023