Former National Champion Datuk James Selvaraj suggested that Malaysian contingent’s first round exit could be due to recent coaching set up made by the Badminton Association Of Malaysia (BAM).
Kenneth Jonassen was appointed as the singles coach in January, while Herry IP was named men’s doubles coach last month due to the Malaysian contingent’s dismal performance in Europe.
Only World No.5 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah survived the first round. The women’s doubles pair are set to take on their Japanese counter-part on Friday.
Meanwhile, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (No. 5), Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 7) and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King (No. 17); mixed doubles Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (No. 4) and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin (No. 13), were knocked out in the first round.
“It was disappointing to see almost all BAM players crashing out in the first round,” said James.
“The players need time to adjust to the new training methods. They are likely undergoing a transition period, which has affected their performance.
“Typically, players need a strong warm-up tournament before a major event. Instead, they underperformed at the Orleans Masters, which hurt their confidence heading into the All England.”
James believes the departure of former men’s doubles coach Tan Bin Shen has hurt the team.
“The men’s pairs were accustomed to Bin Shen’s training style, and it’s tough to adapt to Herry’s approach in less than four weeks.
“But the poor results cannot be ignored. Coaches must engage closely with the players and ensure they adapt quickly.
“BAM must also reassess whether the current training regimes are truly benefiting the players and be willing to make adjustments to improve their tournament performances.’
James asked the BAM to take this as a lesson and take more effective measures.