Malaysia men’s doubles shuttler Aaron Chia said if there was a city where he could end his wait for a BWF World Tour title with Soh Wooi Yik, it would be in Tokyo for the Japan Open taking place at the end of this month (July 25-30).

Chia-Soh won the Olympics bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, followed by becoming the country’s first world champions in the same city last year.

Speaking to Danish men’s singles shuttlers' Anders Antonsen and Hans-Kristian Vittinghus on The Badminton Experience, Chia confessed his love for the land of the rising sun.

“I won the Olympics bronze medal and became world champion there, so Japan holds a special place in our hearts. We love to play in their arena as well. Their fans are chilled, and it’s a great atmosphere to compete at. Plus I love Japanese cuisine too, especially sashimi,” said Chia.

The world number four also admitted having the nagging feeling of not tasting success on the World Tour just yet.

“I would be lying if I said we do not think about it. But sometimes, these expectations are out of our control. It’s not like we do not have the hunger to win. There are many factors to it of course.

“Like for instance, when your opponent is leading at a crucial stage, it tends to get to your head. Having a psychologist talk to us is part of our mental strength training, but they cannot help you on court.

“It’s easy to say that we should only focus point by point, but when you’re in battle on court there are many different factors. It’s an experience only a shuttler who has been through it can tell you.

“So I think it’s wrong for people to say, only when you have won a title, that you have a champions mentality,” he explained.

This year, Chia-Soh finished runners-up twice at the India Open and Indonesia Open.

The Malaysians will nonetheless get their opportunity to win in Japan again in two weeks, beginning with a first-round match against Indian pair M. R. Arjun-Dhruv Kapila.

Before that, the world champions will compete at the Korea Open next week.