MEN'S doubles shuttler Aaron Chia has found a new pastime to fight boredom during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 23-year-old has started challenging singles players on court at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
Aaron, who makes up the World No 9 pairing with Soh Wooi Yik, has been lending a hand as a sparring partner for the women's singles team.
Aaron said: "We're all just trying to mix up our training regime so that we do not get bored.
"It can get monotonous if we just train like we always do as we do not have any upcoming tournaments soon.
"The Asian leg of the World Tour is in January, but nothing is confirmed yet.
"Actually, it's not too bad playing singles. I realised that I have to cover more court area as a singles player.
"It might help me when we start playing competitive badminton."
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who have not played in an international tournament since the All England in March, are looking forward to the Asian leg in Bangkok, which comprises two Super 1000 events and the season-finale World Tour Finals.
"We can't do much, and neither can we complain about our situation because we are following strict government orders (Conditional Movement Control Order).
"Hopefully, things get better soon.
"We are hoping to play in the Asian leg. It has been so long since we played competitive badminton. I really miss it," added Aaron.
The players, however, will get some competitive action when the Mixed Team Championships gets underway later this month.