Ahead of upcoming Thomas Cup which begins on Friday, Malaysian coaches and a former national shuttler gave their thoughts of experiencing the tournament as a player and a coach.
For national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky, his first Thomas Cup experience came at the 1992 edition at Stadium Negara.
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The 58-year-old admitted Indonesia were wary of facing Malaysia in the semi-finals, and it was perhaps due to that fear factor a weakened team was fielded against China which included he and his doubles partner Ricky Subagja playing in the singles.
Subagja played in the first singles and Rexy in the second, and both men were handed big defeats by their opponents.
“We did not want to beat China, because we did not want to face Malaysia (in the semis). Such was the tournament format back then. We ended up reaching the final and played Malaysia, but lost.
“I lost my first Thomas Cup final, but went on to win four times after that,” said Rexy, who also led Thailand to a historic Uber Cup final as a coach back in 2018, after masterminding a shock win over defending champions China in the semis.
Former national men’s singles shuttler Wong Choong Hann, who currently heads the Hong Kong team, said the Thomas Cup gave him a special feeling like no other.
“I was a reserve shuttler in 1998 and it was an eye-opening experience. In 2002, we played Indonesia (in the group stage) and I won the first point. It was a special moment.
“The Thomas Cup experience helped to form me into a focus and disciplined player. To own the hope of a nation, family and friends. No individual event could give you this,” said Wong, who helped Malaysia to a silver medal at the 1998 & 2002 edition.
National singles coach Kenneth Jonassen also had his fair share of moments in the Thomas Cup representing Denmark as a player.
The 51-year-old earned back-to-back silvers with his team in 2004 and 2006.
Interestingly, he noted that Thomas Cup match winners are not usually the superstars.
“The superstars don’t usually win the tie, it’s the second doubles or third singles. Playing in the Thomas Cup gave me the opportunity to better understand the role of the players. If the players are honest about their capabilities, they should be given a chance to discuss it among themselves,” he said to the Badminton World Federation.
