KOO Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong may be the world's top ranked men's doubles but South Korean badminton legend Park Joo Bong believes the Malaysian pair will struggle to win when it matters - like in the Olympics - if they continue to be overly flamboyant on court. "Kien Keat-Boon Heong tend to turn the heat on themselves by being too fancy in their matches," said Joo Bong at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
"Being a show-off on court is no longer the way to win matches. Nowadays, it's all about applying the right strategies and tactics."
"They need to concentrate on improving on these aspects or face the possibility of a big disappointment at the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
"Winning the world title or the Olympic gold is what matters now. It's no longer a big thing to win 'Open' titles."
Joo Bong, who is regarded as the best doubles player ever, says his most cherished moment on court was winning the men's doubles gold medal with Kim Moon Soo in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
Joo Bong, currently the head coach of the Japanese team, added that Kien Keat-Boon Heong tend to be complacent when playing weaker opponents.
"I have seen them struggle against unknown pairs. My advice to them is to show respect to their opponents, regardless of their world rankings."
Ironically, the Malaysian pair's two most famous defeats to lower ranked pairs last year were against Japanese.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong crashed in the second round of the French Open to Tadashi Ohtsuka-Keita Masuda and were then beaten in the quarter-finals of the Kuala Lumpur World Championships to Shuichi Sakamoto-Shintaro Ikeda.
However, Joo Bong, tipped Kien Keat-Boon Heong as one of three pairs who could win the men's doubles title in the Olympics.
"I am basing this on last year's performances. If Kien Keat-Boon Heong can buck up before the Olympics, I believe they can win the gold medal," said Joo Bong, who named reigning world champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia and World No 3 Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China as the other two pairs.
- PETER Gade Christensen of Denmark will not be defend his Malaysia Open title after having withdrawn from tournament which begins at the Putra Stadium tomorrow, due to personal reasons.
Christensen, the fourth seed, didn't travel with the Danish team and his coach Thomas Stuer Lauridsen said a close relative of Christensen is gravely ill and they player opted not to travel.
Source http://www.nst.com.my/
"Being a show-off on court is no longer the way to win matches. Nowadays, it's all about applying the right strategies and tactics."
"They need to concentrate on improving on these aspects or face the possibility of a big disappointment at the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
"Winning the world title or the Olympic gold is what matters now. It's no longer a big thing to win 'Open' titles."
Joo Bong, currently the head coach of the Japanese team, added that Kien Keat-Boon Heong tend to be complacent when playing weaker opponents.
"I have seen them struggle against unknown pairs. My advice to them is to show respect to their opponents, regardless of their world rankings."
Ironically, the Malaysian pair's two most famous defeats to lower ranked pairs last year were against Japanese.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong crashed in the second round of the French Open to Tadashi Ohtsuka-Keita Masuda and were then beaten in the quarter-finals of the Kuala Lumpur World Championships to Shuichi Sakamoto-Shintaro Ikeda.
However, Joo Bong, tipped Kien Keat-Boon Heong as one of three pairs who could win the men's doubles title in the Olympics.
"I am basing this on last year's performances. If Kien Keat-Boon Heong can buck up before the Olympics, I believe they can win the gold medal," said Joo Bong, who named reigning world champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia and World No 3 Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China as the other two pairs.
- PETER Gade Christensen of Denmark will not be defend his Malaysia Open title after having withdrawn from tournament which begins at the Putra Stadium tomorrow, due to personal reasons.
Christensen, the fourth seed, didn't travel with the Danish team and his coach Thomas Stuer Lauridsen said a close relative of Christensen is gravely ill and they player opted not to travel.
Source http://www.nst.com.my/
