Goh Sze Fei attributed his split with long-time men’s doubles partner Nur Izzuddin to lacking a connection after the pair stated their intent to go their separate ways after eight years together.

“We wanted to find a solution after our last two tournaments didn’t go well. But Izzuddin said there was no connection anymore and that was a signal. It is nobody’s fault, we just wanted to go out there and do our best all the time,” said Goh.

National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky confirmed the split was the pair’s decision.

“It is my job as a coach to keep them as a pair. But we wanted to hear them out, and they have decided on their future,” he said.

The world number 11 pair's best results came last year, when they won the German Open title and finished runners-up at the Swiss Open in March.

The pair showed great chemistry especially at the German Open final, when Izzuddin had hurt his leg towards the end of their match against Liu Yu Chen-Ou Xuanyi and Goh did a magnificent job of covering for his stricken partner.

The pair continued to do well by reaching the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Championships and the Malaysia Open, but their form started to dip after that with a flurry of early exits.

This year, they crashed out in the first round of the Malaysia and India Open, which looked to be the final straw.

The decision on their split will be made by the national body coaching team after the Indonesia Masters.