KUALA LUMPUR: Jonatan Christie is confident that, under Mulyo Handoyo's guidance, his game will reach new heights, despite still adjusting to each other's training methods.
Mulyo, who guided Taufik Hidayat to the 2004 Olympic gold and 2005 World Championship, rejoined the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) last month after years abroad with national teams, including India and Singapore.
His return is timely, as Indonesia's men's singles have struggled to make an impact. At the Paris Olympics, both Christie and Anthony Ginting exited early in the group stage.
Christie and Ginting, currently ranked world No. 3 and No. 10 respectively, have long been stalwarts in men's singles. The next highest-ranked Indonesian player is Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.
"Mulyo has vast experience, having trained many great players and produced champions. I hope to become one too under his guidance," Christie said.
The 27-year-old Indonesian suffered a surprise loss to Frenchman Toma Junior Popov, 21-8, 14-21, 26-24, in a recent tournament. Despite the setback, Christie is confident about his comeback with Mulyo, acknowledging that they are still adjusting to each other's methods.
"We've only been training together for a week or two, so we're still in the adaptation phase. He's a great coach, and we'll improve moving forward," said Christie, who aims to defend his All England title this March.
Meanwhile, PBSI is fortunate to secure Mulyo's services, as he had been close to accepting an offer from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
"I was negotiating with BAM but couldn't decide. In the end, I chose PBSI because it's an honor to return here," Mulyo explained.
Mulyo's return also reunites him with former player Taufik Hidayat, now PBSI's deputy chairman.