The stellar pair of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo failed to perform in the Sudirman Cup causing Indonesia to get knocked out of the tournament.
Indonesian badminton fans have started to think that now might be the time to split up the pair.
In the quarter final of the Sudirman cup, the Minions were defeated by Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in two straight games. The Malaysians had also defeated them in the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year.
After watching their Sudirman cup match, Indonesian legend Christian Hadinata, through Detik Sport, gave his observations. He said, “We saw how Kevin/Marcus played yesterday, they underperformed. No passion, no spirit, not the usual. But we don’t know what is the real situation and condition over there.”
Recommendation: Herry IP dismissed rumours about breaking up the world no. 1 pair
Can Gideon and Sukamuljo bounce back and find their rhythm again in the upcoming Thomas Cup?
After their disappointing performance in the Sudirman Cup, coach Herry said, “Yes, I have to talk to them heart to heart to increase their motivation. I haven’t asked them directly (what the problem is), so I cannot give a lot of views right now. “
He also said through Jawapos, “We are thinking about the best solution for Denmark (Thomas Cup) later. It is a possibility to switch partners. However, we must also look at the D-1 condition. There must be discussions with the players.”
Rivals still think highly of Gideon and Sukamuljo
While many Indonesian fans say that it is time to split up Gideon and Sukamuljo, coach Herry IP had said before that there is no plan to split them up just yet.
In the midst of these tumultuous times for Gideon and Sukamuljo, rival Aaron Chia commented that they should endure and stick together as a pair.
Aaron told The Star, “I feel the criticism on them is uncalled for. At one point, they were in ruthless form and kept winning titles (ended the 2019 season with eight World Tour titles), everyone hailed them as invincible.
“I think it’s not wise to separate them because athletes go through up and down in their career.”
“For instance, although we defeated the Minions twice in a row, I wouldn’t say that we’ve surpassed them,” he added.
