KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s men’s singles player, Eogene Ewe, is feeling the heat after some of his teammates were dropped from the national squad for not meeting performance standards.
Eogene, who joined the senior squad last year, admitted that he’s feeling the weight because, including him, there are only four singles players remaining in the national set-up.
The rest are Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao, and Justin Hoh.
The 20-year-old has no choice but to work on boosting his ranking as much as possible to ensure the gap between him and the other seniors is not too far.
In October, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) made a bold decision by removing 13 players from the national camp, leaving a total of just 34 players compared to the original 50.
“I’m happy because I achieved my target to reach the top 100 this year. This feels like a good start for me heading into next year.
“I do feel some pressure, but it’s positive pressure that helps me grow. If you stay at the same level without challenging yourself, there’s no room for improvement,” said Eogene when met at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM), Bukit Kiara, today.
Eogene has set a phased target over the next two years to improve his ranking. He aims to reach the top 64 by the end of next year, followed by breaking into the elite top 32 the year after.
The target seems realistic, considering he has already made significant progress this year. Starting the year ranked 319th in the world, he has now climbed up to 99th.
“I just want to reach the top 64 by next year. After that, I aim to compete in the Super 1000 and 750 tournaments within two years.
“Playing against top players will give me valuable experience and training insights, which is what matters most to me right now,” he added.
At the moment, Eogene and his teammates are still awaiting the arrival of a new coach, as the contract for their previous coach, Hendrawan, was not renewed, while Datuk Tey Seu Bock has been reassigned to manage the national junior squad. – November 8, 2024