The national doubles shuttlers were given a boost ahead of the upcoming Thomas & Uber Cup after a sparring session with a former world number one.

The man in focus is Indonesia’s Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, who was at the Academy Badminton Malaysia to spar with the shuttlers.

“Thank you for having a workout and doing some sparring with our players,” said national coaching director Rexy Mainaky on his social media page, with a picture of Gideon posing with other national coaches including Herry Iman Pierngaldi and Nova Widianto.

Gideon’s presence would have given the national shuttlers an inspiring sparring workout.

The 35-year-old retired from the sport on his birthday two years ago, having dominated the men’s doubles scene with his partner Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo.

Among the pair's achievement include the 2018 Asian Games gold medal and 19 titles on the World Tour.

Gideon most recently participated in reality game show Physical: Asia last year, where he represented Team Indonesia, becoming the only shuttler to have competed so far.

These days, Gideon remains committed to the game through his academy in Indonesia.