KUALA LUMPUR: "Delivering results will help everything else fall into place for professional players."
That is the message from retired former world No. 1 men's doubles player Tan Boon Heong who turned pro after 11 years with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
"When players turn pro, they need to keep their discipline as no one is looking after their affairs on or off the court. So that discipline is what will help you continue to deliver results," said Boon Heong who used to partner Koo Kien Keat.
"When you have results, everything will fall into place. You have very little to worry about when it comes to attracting brands to work with you.
"But when the results are lacking, it can cause them (sponsors) to reduce their sponsorships," said Boon Heong at the Grand Final of the Tiga Saga Li-Ning Cup at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
Recently, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani left the national team to turn pro after receiving a lucrative sponsorship from a sports equipment manufacturer.
Their move is noteworthy as they are one of the first to leave the national set-up while still in their prime and winning tournaments. Previously, shuttlers who left BAM were seen to be on the decline. Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin won the Japan Open last month while they were still with BAM.
At the ongoing China Open, three professional pairs from Malaysia made it to the semi-finals. They are married couple, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, men's pairs Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin and Ong Yew Sin- Teo Ee Yi.