DESPITE Malaysia’s men’s singles shuttlers having what it takes to compete with the world’s elite, their coach Kenneth Jonassen believes they still lack one crucial element: mental consistency.
According to the New Straits Times, Jonassen shared his views on singles players Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh, stating that both are still struggling to maintain form over successive matches.
At the Singapore Open, Leong defeated world number five Jonatan Christie in the second round—his third win in five matches against the Indonesian. However, he was unable to carry that momentum forward and lost in the following round to Thailand’s world number one, Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
“You can have the strokes, the speed, the fitness, but if you’re not mentally sharp every day, it’s not enough.
“Right now, that’s the main gap between us and the top nations.
“Jun Hao and Justin have shown they can beat top-level opponents. But the question is, can they do it again the next day, and the day after that?” Jonassen was quoted as saying.
He further noted that the solution lies not just in working harder but in training smarter—by replicating the intensity and pressure of actual match play during practice sessions.
A recent training stint with world number three Anders Antonsen at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM), where the Danish player was preparing for the Singapore Open, gave the national shuttlers a taste of that standard.
“Antonsen trained not only with Jun Hao but also with our top juniors,“ he was also quoted as saying.
“That exposure is invaluable. Our boys need to see what real consistency looks like—not just in a match, but throughout a full week of high-performance training,” he added.
Jonassen also praised the Danish player’s professionalism and discipline throughout his training at ABM.
“It’s the warm-up, the mindset, the body language. When you’re on court with someone like that, you realise—there are no lapses in focus, no off days. That’s what we need to build,” he pointed out.
He emphasised that it is not enough for players to perform well in isolated matches—they must be able to deliver consistent performances throughout an entire tournament.
“Anyone can play well once.
“What we need are players who can do it five days in a row. That’s the real battle,” he was quoted as saying.
