KUALA LUMPUR – Reflecting on last year’s All England, former Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) technical director Datuk James Selvaraj noted a conspicuous absence of “desire” among Malaysian shuttlers to secure victories.
Speaking to Scoop, he said it was important for players to engage consistently with sports psychologists and their respective coaches.
He stressed the urgency of leaving no stone unturned, particularly as the Olympic qualification period draws to a close.
As the prestigious All England tournament starts today, James voiced concern over the players’ performance and underscored the significance of excelling at the Super 1000 event.
“In my day, badminton was not in the Olympics, and there was no World Championships.
“So the All England title held the utmost prestige for us as players. Its significance remains unchanged even today.
“So it is important for our players who did not do well at the French Open to sit down with their coaches and work out what they can do to improve,” said the former national champion when contacted by Scoop.
James urged players who faltered at the French Open to strategise with their coaches for improvement.
He highlighted the missing tenacity in Malaysian players, citing the recent comeback victory of China’s women’s doubles pair Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan against Japanese pair Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida at the French Open yesterday as an example.
For context, Qingchen-Yifan had won the first set but Matsuyama-Shida levelled the match by taking the second set.
The Japanese pair were up 20-15 in the third, looking likely to end up as winners, only for the world number one Chinese pair to string together five points in a row to tie the score at 20-20 and eventually win the match 21-12, 19-21, 24-22.
“This desire to fight until the end no matter what… is lacking in our players.
“So that is why they must work with sports psychologists. I have been advocating this for a while and now BAM has one.
“There will be huge pressure playing at the All England and the sports psychologist can help the players on how to mentally handle certain situations.
“The players can’t treat this tournament as just another competition with another one happening next week,” added James.
The All England starts this evening at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
In the men’s singles draw, Lee Zii Jia will face tournament sixth-seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan, while Ng Tze Yong is set to clash against India’s Lakshya Sen.
In the women’s singles, Goh Jin Wei is up against world number six He Bingjiao from China.
In the men’s doubles, national number one pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will face teammates Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, while independent pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi will face tournament eighth-seeds Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi of China.
Another men’s doubles pair, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, are set to challenge Japan’s Akira Koga-Taichi Saito, while in the women’s doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah will take on compatriots Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien.
In the mixed doubles, Chang Ko-chi and Lee Chih-chen of Chinese Taipei await Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, while Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing will take on Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue of France.
National number one mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will have a difficult task ahead of them, facing off against Thailand’s world number six pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai. – March 12, 2024