KUALA LUMPUR – Newly crowned Arctic Open champions, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, are enjoying the form of their lives.
The independent men’s doubles pair could end the year on a high by overtaking two-time Olympic bronze medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to become Malaysia’s new number one pair.
Undoubtedly, Sze Fei and Izzuddin have the potential to go far, but the question remains whether they can sustain this level of intensity in the long term.
Independent doubles coach, Rosman Razak, who has been heavily linked with a return to the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM), emphasised the importance of having a strong support team, which includes sports science expertise.
Drawing a comparison with men’s singles star Lee Zii Jia, who has his own professional team, Team LZJ, Rosman told Scoop that Sze Fei and Izzuddin will need to consider a similar setup to achieve greater success.
“For any player to sustain top-level performance and quality over the long term, they must have sports science expertise, such as good physiotherapy and proper recovery management.
“At present, Sze Fei and Izzuddin don’t have this, so they need to look into it and find a solution.
“Perhaps they could try to work something out with the necessary people, or source more sponsors to set up their own support team,” said Rosman, who also oversees other independent players, including Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, as well as mixed doubles pairs Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai, and Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing, alongside former international Teo Kok Siang.
After capturing the Arctic Open crown yesterday, Sze Fei and Izzuddin, who turned professional last month, joined the ranks of badminton elites who have completed the full collection of World Tour titles, including the Super 100, 300, 500, 750, and 1000.
The world number eight pair’s next assignment is the Super 750 Denmark Open, which begins tomorrow.
Barring any changes to the main draw, Sze Fei and Izzuddin, currently just four places below Aaron and Wooi Yik in the world rankings, will face Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan in the opening round on Wednesday. — October 14, 2024