Kuala Lumpur — Malaysia’s national badminton doubles squad has been urged to set bold, ambitious targets as they prepare for the 2025 Badminton World Championships in Paris later this month. According to the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) Director of Doubles Coaching, Rexy Mainaky, the team’s focus in the final stretch should be on strengthening their mental resilience rather than making drastic technical changes.
Rexy explained that with the limited time before the tournament, it is unrealistic to overhaul players’ technical skills. “At this level, these players are already among the best in the world. Even if we had ten years to fine‑tune their skills, the improvement might only be around ten percent,” he said during training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM).
Instead, Rexy believes the real difference will come from sharpening players’ mindset, emotional control, and consistency on court. “Performance swings happen when players are not mentally aligned. One day they look strong, the next day their game drops without knowing why. We must address that,” he added.
Rexy also emphasized that coaches must look beyond technical drills. They need to understand players holistically, including off‑court challenges that can affect focus, confidence, and character — much like the role of a parent guiding their child.
Malaysia’s doubles challenge in Paris will be led by 2022 world champions Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong–Tee Kai Wun in the men’s doubles, Pearly Tan–M Thinaah and Go Pei Kee–Teoh Mei Xing in the women’s doubles. For the mixed doubles, the nation’s hopes rest on world No. 4 pair Chen Tang Jie–Toh Ee Wei and world No. 16 duo Hoo Pang Ron–Cheng Su Yin.
With the competition heating up, Rexy’s call is clear — a winning mindset could be Malaysia’s most valuable weapon at the World Championships.
