KUALA LUMPUR: National men’s doubles pair Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King are taking time in adapting to the philosophy introduced by head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, according to national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky.

Rexy said Wan Arif-Roy King have made numerous mistakes during their matches on court as they were still trying to get used to Herry's way of coaching. 

"They seem to be forcing themselves to play according to the philosophy introduced (by Herry). I have already discussed with them, especially Arif.

"We saw some results in the last tournament at the Indonesia Open where they managed to play three games against their teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun.

Despite winning  21-14 in the first game, Arif-Roy King failed to contain the comeback from Wei Chong-Kai Wun and lost 11-21, 15-21 in the second round. 

"We hope they’ll be more confident in upcoming tournaments,” he said. 

Since being guided by Herry, who began his stint with the Badminton Association of Malaysia in February, the world No. 24 pair have reached one semi-final, which was at the Orleans Masters in France last March, out of eight tournaments entered.

This situation is clearly different from two other national pairs - 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun - who have shown a positive impact under Herry’s guidance.

Aaron-Wooi Yik have excelled this year by winning three titles - the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China, the Thailand Open, and the Singapore Open - while Wei Chong-Kai Wun claimed the Indonesian Masters and Malaysian Masters titles.

Meanwhile, Rexy said national men’s doubles player MohdHaikal Nazri has not been as aggressive as before and has lost self-confidence after returning from a thigh muscle injury sustained during training last December.

The situation has forced Haikal and his partner Choong Hon Jian to miss several major tournaments including the Malaysian Open last January, and their world ranking has now dropped to 47th.

Although they returned to action last May, Hon Jian-Haikal have exited early in all five tournaments they have participated in this year.

Their next tournament is the Japan Open from July 15-20. - Bernama