Chong Wei: Even Lin Dan’s coach will be of no help
IPOH: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei says that Malaysian back-up shuttlers will not go anywhere if they do not change their attitude.
And there was sarcasm in his voice when he said that even Lin Dan’s coach, Tang Hsienhu, will not be able to make world beaters out of Malaysia’s current batch of back-up squad players.
Chong Wei was frustrated with lack of enthusiasm showed by the squad comprising Liew Daren, Chan Kwong Beng, Chong Wei Feng, Tan Chun Seang and Mohd Arif Abdul Latif.
He is getting more and more annoyed with the situation. After all, he has held the status as the country’s top shuttler for far too long. On Sunday, he stretched his invincibility on the local circuit to eight years by winning the Perak Open.
The 28-year-old Chong Wei said that the back-up players would have to save their own skin.
“It’s not about the coaches. Malaysia have Misbun (Sidek), Rashid (Sidek) and even Hendrawan. But they cannot help these players if they do not do their part,” he said.
“We can even bring in Lin Dan’s coach but he too will not be able to do anything about it.”
After sparring with them for a year, Chong Wei has noted their weaknesses.
“I am disappointed with their attitude. Daren had no explanation when I asked him the reason for his defeat at the Hong Kong Open (recently). He said he did not know what went wrong,” said Chong Wei.
“One should be able to analyse his game and understand why he won or lost.
“Arif is a player from the same batch as Kenichi Tago of Japan. Tago gave me a tough fight at the All-England final this year but I did not see the same fire from Arif (in the semi-finals of the Perak Open).
“We have a group of players who depend too much dependant on the coaches. They are neither analytical nor want to go the extra mile.
“From my observation, they are unable to cope with the drills every day of a week. They slow down half way. This is same attitude they show on the court. They give up when the pressure gets to them.”
Chong Wei hoped that the so called “future stars” would buck up by showing better commitment in training and competitions.
“I have come a long way and there is no short cut. It is all about hard work,” he said.
“I hope the back-up players will show better attitude and start making their presence felt in local and international tournaments next year to save their own badminton careers.”
CREDITS TO THE STAR ONLINE
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