KUALA LUMPUR — National men’s doubles shuttler Muhammad Haikal Nazri is determined to shake off injury setbacks and make his long-awaited debut at the prestigious All England Badminton Championships in March.
Still recovering from a torn right hip muscle, the 22-year-old is eager to reunite with his partner, Choong Hon Jian, in time for the tournament in Birmingham from March 11-16.
Sidelined for the past month, Haikal has already ruled himself out of the German Open (February 25 – March 2) and faces an uphill battle to regain full fitness in time for the Orleans Masters in France (March 4-9).
Following a recent assessment by the National Sports Institute (NSI) on February 7, his recovery was measured at 80%—leaving his return to the court still uncertain.
“I informed my coach yesterday that I won’t be able to play in the German Open, but I’m still holding out hope for the Orleans Masters or the All England,” he said after a training session today, Bernama reported.
“Of course, playing in the All England would be a dream come true, as I’ve never competed in the world’s oldest badminton tournament. Hopefully, I can recover in time.”
Haikal’s injury had already forced him and Hon Jian to shelve their hopes of making their Malaysia Open debut last month.
Now back in court training, he remains cautious, focusing on front-court play and limiting his jumping smashes to avoid aggravating the injury.
The Kelantan-born shuttler also described training under new national men’s doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi as an eye-opener, with the Indonesian introducing fresh techniques—including hitting with a heavier racket to build wrist strength.
“For me, training under Herry has been a great experience. He’s teaching us not to lift the shuttle too high and ensuring we use heavier rackets, which is good because I lack power,” he said. — February 11, 2025