Tan Wee Kiong, one of the oldest active players in men’s doubles, is hoping for a special reception in his potentially final All England Open Badminton Championships this year, slated to run from March 11 to 16 along with partner Nur Azriyn Ayub.
Danish ace Kim Astrup’s partner Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, 36, is the oldest active men’s doubles player after the retirement of Indonesian legends Hendra Setiawan, 40, and Mohammad Ahsan, 37, last month.
The Rio 2016 silver medalist said, “I don’t fancy being one of the oldest players in men’s doubles. It would be much nicer to deliver a special performance at the All England, which could be my last outing at this prestigious event
“I’m also excited to play in Birmingham again, as my last tournament there was with V Shem in 2021.
“We never really thought we would come this far when we started a year ago, but we have done a decent job.
“We hope to perform well at the All England to sign off in style. I don’t think I’ll be playing this event at 37 next year.
“I also want to win a tour title before retiring from international badminton. We will have many opportunities to achieve that goal this year.”
Wee Kiong hailed the efforts of his partner, Azriyn, 31, for putting the ‘extra-work’ to drive the team.
“Azriyn has been the catalyst behind our performances over the past year. He’s extremely hard-working and covers for me in matches,” Wee Kiong added.
“I can rely on my experience, but Azriyn puts in the extra work — you can see him diving all over the court to save rallies.
“His energy keeps us fighting, and we want to push for better results while also enjoying our remaining time on the tour.”
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