KUALA LUMPUR: Everybody makes mistakes. The difference is that the good shuttlers make less.
National men's doubles player Haikal Nazri said he and partner Choong Hon Jian need to cut out simple mistakes in their game.
That is their takeaway after the fast-rising badminton duo squared off against some of the world's top pairs recently.
Haikal and Hon Jian were only paired up last August but have already bagged three titles and currently occupy 20th spot in the world rankings.
In the recent Australia Open they went down to China's world No. 8 He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu in the semi-finals, 21-18, 21-9.
"Top pairs make very few mistakes. Even though myself and Hon Jian are a top 20 pair, we still make lots of simple errors.
"Improving our consistency and cutting out errors is what we are working hard on in training," said Haikal.
The 21-year-old said they need to improve their mental toughness when their opponents change strategies during the game.
In the match against Ji Ting and Xiang Yu, the Malaysian duo were competitive in the first set, but the Chinese pair upped the pace in the second, and they could not even get to double digits.
"Their change in strategy and play messed us up mentally, we need to deal with that better next time.
"I also need to be more fierce on the court as opponents tend to single me out and pull me to the backcourt.
"I want to improve my backcourt play. When opponents target me, I will be able to deal with that pressure," Haikal added.