Pemain perseorangan lelaki negara, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin, menyimpan keyakinan dirinya sudah pulih sepenuhnya daripada kecederaan belakang biarpun masa makin suntuk untuk menghadapi Kejohanan Badminton Berpasukan Campuran Asia di Vietnam, bermula 14 Februari ini.
Iskandar mengalami kecederaan belakang ketika bersaing dalam Kejohanan Purple League, Disember lalu.
Kini, dengan hanya berbaki lebih kurang seminggu sebelum bermula Kejohanan Badminton Berpasukan Campuran Asia, Iskandar sudah pun menunjukkan peningkatan untuk mengetuai cabaran negara di Vietnam.
"Kejohanan di Vietnam nanti penting, kami akan dinilai untuk menghadapi Piala Sudirman nanti.
"Saya harap dapat membuktikan kemampuan saya di sana, saya juga berharap kecederaan yang menimpa sebelum ini tidak menjejaskan permainan saya," katanya ketika ditemui selepas sesi latihan pagi tadi.
Iskandar juga menolak tanggapan bahawa barisan pemain negara yang dihantar ke Vietnam adalah skuad 'underdog' jika dibandingkan dengan pemain negara lain.
"Saya tak anggap kami adalah pemain pelapis lagi.
"Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi dan Goh Sze Wei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani sudah menunjukkan potensi mereka sebagai pasangan beregu.
"Saya pula sebagai pemain perseorangan lelaki kedua negara, meskipun ada masanya prestasi saya turun dan naik, tapi saya masih yakin mampu memberi cabaran hebat."
Shaiful Shamsudin
Mon Feb 06 2017
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