I want winners, not survivors

PETALING JAYA: National coaching director Rexy Mainaky wants more from the back-up shuttlers in the national team.

Without specifying any players, Rexy believes his charges need to aim to win more titles instead of just being satisfied with improving their rankings.

“Our back-up players need to adopt a winning mentality rather than just think about surviving in the national team,” said Rexy.

“If you see China’s men’s doubles pair Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang are already No. 1 in the world and they are only 22, 23 years old.

“Some of our players who are around the same age are still fighting to do well in International Challenge (IC) tournaments.

“Their minimum target should be World Tour Super 500 level events.

“IC competitions are merely a stepping stone for the players to improve their rankings, so that they can gain entry into World Tour events.1

“Let’s say they play in eight to 10 IC competitions this year, then next year they still think we will send them for these tournaments again.

“This means they are not moving forward but are just remaining stagnant.”

Rexy, who is a world and Olympic champion, has also called on the players to keep setting higher targets as they progress.

“When I ask them their target, they say they want to break into the world’s top 32,” said Rexy.

“But then what? When they do that, they need to aim to excel in Super 500 and higher level tournaments, not just be satisfied with qualifying.

“When I was an up-and-coming player, I never wanted to lose in the first or second rounds in tournaments.

“Even with the presence of top players, I always wanted to go as far as possible.

“Our players need to have the same champions’ mentality and not care if people say it’s unrealistic for them to aim to win titles in the bigger tourneys.

“As coaches, we need to take them out of their comfort zones.”