KUALA LUMPUR: Women's doubles Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah is raring for action in next week's Malaysia Masters in Bukit Jalil.
It will be the world No. 14's first tournament since their first-round exit at the Asian Championships early last month.
The former French Open champions were also left out of Malaysia's Uber Cup squad earlier this month to focus on their Paris Olympics preparation.
On Sunday, after testing the courts at the Axiata Arena, Thinaah said: "Since we haven't played in a tournament for a while, we're really excited to get going again, especially because it's a home event.
"But as always, we want to make sure we remain focused on our own game. Our communication and support on court are the most crucial aspects."
In the absence of many top players and pairs, Pearly-Thinaah will start as the second seeds.
When asked if winning a tournament was important for their Olympic preparation, Thinaah added, "We want to build our confidence and momentum in every match we play.
"So yes, doing well here will definitely help in our preparation for the Olympics."
Pearly-Thinaah will play Thailand's Pichamon Phatcharaphisutsin-Nannapas Sukklad in the opening round.
Last year, Pearly-Thinaah gave the local badminton fans their money's worth when they went all the way to the final before losing narrowly to South Korea's current world No. 2 Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee.