KUALA LUMPUR: With just a month left before the new year, men’s doubles coach Tan Bin Shen remains optimistic that his players have ample time to address their weaknesses and gear up for the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour with renewed energy and strategies.
Bin Shen views the qualification of the nation’s top men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, for the BWF World Tour Finals (WTF) 2024 in Hangzhou, China, next month as an invaluable opportunity to identify and fine-tune their shortcomings when competing against the world’s best pairs.
“For players not participating in the WTF, they have a full month to train. Those heading to the WTF will have two weeks of training before competing. For Aaron and Wooi Yik, training alone isn’t enough because we won’t know their level without competition. So, participating in the WTF is beneficial,” he told reporters recently.
Discussing his players’ performance, which started strong earlier this year but dipped towards the end, Bin Shen attributed the decline to injuries faced by players like Choong Hon Jian and Yap Roy King.
He acknowledged that injuries disrupt a player’s momentum and make recovery challenging, especially when players regain their form only to be sidelined by recurring injuries.
“Hon Jian got injured again and had to restart. In several tournaments, he appeared less confident and couldn’t find his rhythm. Roy King and Wan Arif Junaidi also faced injuries but are slowly recovering their game. Their performance at the China Masters was decent,“ he said.
As for Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who missed the chance to compete in the WTF, Bin Shen attributed it to their lack of consistency.
“They often lose points quickly due to a lack of focus, even when they have opportunities to score during matches,” he explained.
Among the doubles pairs under the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Aaron-Wooi Yik are currently rank fifth in the world, followed by Wei Chong-Kai Wun (14th), Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal Nazri (19th), and Wan Arif-Roy King (22nd).
