KUALA LUMPUR – While pleased with men’s doubles pair Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal Nazri’s victory at the Syed Modi International in India on Sunday, Badminton Association of Malaysia coaching director Rexy Mainaky has urged them to keep their focus and not be complacent.
Rexy fears that his players will lose their focus if they receive too much praise, citing that in the past players would develop a big ego as soon as they received compliments.
“I don’t want them to become big-headed when they receive too much admiration.
“In the past, we have seen players develop an ego when they get a little success, I don’t want that to happen to Hon Jian and Haikal,” Rexy told reporters when met at Akademi Badminton Malaysia today.
The win was somewhat unexpected with Hon Jian, 23, and Haikal, 20, who were paired up in August, facing world number 16s Akira Koga-Taichi Saito of Japan in the final.
The youngsters battled their way to victory in three sets 18-21, 21-18, 21-18 to win the Super 300 tournament. Rexy said that whether it was an unexpected win or not, the pair need to know that they have to perform every single time they step onto the court.
“If we say the win was unexpected I don’t want the players to think that their win was because of luck.
“They need to know that every time they step on court they have to perform to the best of their ability.
“I want them to be confident in what they do. They showed a wonderful game and consistency in the tournament, just like what we worked with them in training,” said Rexy.
Rexy hopes the pair are not content with the win and will show consistency in their next tournament.
Hon Jian-Haikal will stay in India for their next assignment, the Super 100 Guwahati Masters in Guwahati, Assam. – December 5, 2023