Indonesia’s no. 1 mixed doubles pair Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti lost yesterday in two straight games to the unseeded Indian pair of Dhruv Kapila and N. Sikki Reddy in the first round of the 2021 Daihatsu Indonesia Masters.

After the match, while Jordan chose not to comment, Oktavianti admitted that they did not communicate well with each other on the court.

The two players are speculated to be in a personal relationship outside the court, though they have never publicly admitted it.

Indonesia’s mixed doubles coach, Nova Widianto, who has, up until now, refrained from criticizing the poor performance of the pair in the recent months could not hide his frustration anymore.

Widianto told Detik Sport, “Yesterday’s opponents (the Indian pair), I don’t mean to underestimate them, but, maybe they are two levels below. So this might be a little harsh, but they (Jordan/ Oktavianti) don’t have a sense of responsibility. Playing at home, in other words, the feeling of not wanting to lose should be a must.”

“As long as they play their best, wholeheartedly on the field, there’s no problem at all even if there is no communication. But look at this, see for yourself, there was no fight at all. There is no sense of responsibility at all to play for Indonesia,” said the coach.

“I think it’s their own problem, their personal problem, don’t bring it to the court,” added the coach.

Indonesian fans couldn’t hide their disappointment with the pair as well and took to social media to criticise the pair.