James tells why Pearly-Thinaah and other Malaysian pairs fail at WTF [WATCH]

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk James Selvaraj feels that a hectic competition schedule, which included the Thailand SEA Games, had drastically affected women's pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah's chances of winning their first World Tour Finals crown in Hangzhou, China, last month.

The former BAM high performance director said this had led to world No. 2 Pearly-Thinaah missing out on the US$252,000 (RM1.02 million) WTF top prize.

He said Pearly-Thinaah's efforts at the Dec 7-14 SEA Games — they were the only Malaysian shuttlers to win gold in Bangkok — took its toll on them as they immediately switched to the WTF.

James felt that playing in their 22nd tournament of the year in Hangzhou was just too much for Pearly-Thinaah who lost to Japan's world No. 5 Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto in the WFT semi-final stage.

"They were playing one too many tournaments. Twenty-two in one year is really a lot of tournaments," James said on the Timesport: On the Beat podcast.

"They were the only Malaysians to win one of the targeted four SEA Games golds and they had to struggle against lower-ranked pairs in Thailand.

"BAM may have its own thoughts but I would have told them not to send the top pairs but the second stringers.

"This would have given Pearly-Thinaah extra rest and enabled them to put in more preparation for the WTF.

"My feeling is that Pearly-Thinaah would have done much better at the WTF if they had skipped the SEA Games.

"The SEA Games is for the nation and they felt that they had to help the country win but if they had lost in Thailand, people would have raised questions."

James believes that playing in 16 to 18 tournaments in the World Tour would be ideal for Malaysia's top doubles pairs.

There are 12 mandatory events (four Super 1000, six Super 750 and two Super 500 tournaments) for the world top 15 singles and top 10 pairs.

Additionally, there are the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Horsens, Denmark (April 24-May 3), New Delhi World Championships (Aug 17-23) and Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya (Sept 19-Oct 4) for them to focus on.

While James regards Pearly-Thinaah as Malaysia's best bets for gold at the 2028 Olympics, he is concerned about them playing too many tournaments.

"They have played very well. But can they sustain all the way? If they play 22 tournaments again this year and in 2027 when the Olympics approach?

"If they are injury free, it's OK, but if they are injured, what happens then? Everything you put in — all the training and money you spend in preparing the girls — will go to waste.

"So, it's time for the coaches to look into the players' schedule whether they should compete in all 22 tournaments or only play in 18 tournaments.

"Pearly-Thinaah, I believe, are still our best bets for gold at the 2028 Olympics but their fitness level has dropped.

"Among the world's top four, Pearly has the best smash and placement shot but fitness at times lets the pair down.

"If Rosman can improve the fitness of Pearly and Thinaah and make them an all-round pair like China's, they will become a fantastic combination," added James.

World champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei were also expected to push for a WFT title but lost to China's world No. 1 Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping in the last four.

However, James felt that Tang Jie-Ee Wei's shock semi-final defeat to Thailand's world No. 13 Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat in the SEA Games could have affected their focus at the WTF.

"The SEA Games was where their concentration went and the defeat to the Thai pair had demoralised them a little. After losing to them, they were mentally not ready for the WTF," said James.

"In terms of physical, Tang Jie-Ee Wei can sustain themselves but their combination and communication still need improvement."

Independent world No. 9 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai were the other pair who qualified but were eliminated in the group stage.

World No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik fell in the WTF group stage together with world No. 5 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun. James felt that their physical condition needs to be seriously looked into by men's doubles head coach Herry IP.

"Overall, our men's pairs have done well. They have changed their style of play and Indonesian coach Herry has done good work but again, the question of playing in too many tournaments arises," said James.

"Somewhere along the way, they were over-exerted and when their fitness level goes down, the concentration gets affected and they start making mistakes. If they don't work on their fitness, it is going to be hard for them."

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