Pearly responds to critics after tough four weeks together with Thinaah

PETALING JAYA: Women’s doubles shuttler Pearly Tan responded to critics after her maiden podium finish with M. Thinaah at the Indonesian Open.

World No. 4 Pearly-Thinaah have come under scrutiny due to an ongoing unresolved contract with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) but instead of reacting to it, they have decided to allow results do the talking.

Pearly opened up on the challenges she and Thinaah went through via a heartfelt social media post.

“This month, we walked into this journey with the weight of expectations and noise of criticism during our tournaments,” said Pearly.

“Not everything that was said about us was true but we chose not to respond with words. Instead, we responded with hard work, resilience and unity.

The duo’s contract with BAM expired last December but have yet to sign new deals and there have been rumours that they could leave BAM to turn independent but Pearly-Thinaah had remained mum on their contract situation as they navigated the gruelling four weeks of non-stop tournaments.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding their futures in BAM and the constant speculation, Pearly-Thinaah have remained focused on court and reached the final in the Indonesian tourney before narrowly going down 25-23, 12-21, 19-21 to China’s world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Sunday (June 8).

The pair also captured the Thailand Open last month and did not let their intensity drop, reaching the last four in the Malaysian Masters and the quarter-finals in the Singapore Open after that before their stunning run in Indonesia.

“It wasn’t easy but we stood our ground, held on to each other and gave it everything we had. We didn’t win the title but we found something even more powerful – strength, belief and heart.

“Thank you to those who stood by us. We will keep this spirit going and see you guys in the next tour.”

Pearly also went on to thank the support team behind her and Thinaah.

“It’s been a crazy roller coaster month for both of us, testing our minds, staying calm through the chaos and pushing through even when we were tired,” said Pearly.

“Honestly, we couldn’t have done it without our amazing support team behind us who were there for us every step of the way.

“They helped us recover, stay strong and keep going on the court. Truly, we couldn’t have come this far without all of you.”