KUALA LUMPUR: Tennis Malaysia (TM) claim that a lack of resources limited their ability to secure a strong squad and provide adequate preparation for their players ahead of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania competition.
The national team suffered a poor outing in the Asia-Oceania Group III competition which concluded in Jordan on Saturday, finishing last from five nations in Pool A.
Malaysia will thus compete in Group IV next year, which is the second lowest division in the Asia-Oceania competition. Malaysia has never gone lower than Group III before this.
Malaysia was represented by Darrshan Suresh Kumar, Leroy Yong, Naufal Siddiq Kamaruzzaman and Aiman Hamdan in Jordan, with Zulkhairi Mohd Khir as team captain.
The absence of Mitsuki Leong and Koay Hao Sheng, the top-two ranked players in the country, raised eyebrows.
TM honorary secretary Muhammad Shahrul Hafidz AB Rahim said the national body was unable to meet demands from the duo as they lacked resources.
Hafidz did not reveal details on what was requested.
Hao Sheng currently has his hands full with full-time coaching, while Mitsuki is a full-time touring professional with a tight schedule.
"We are not upset with them. But we hope that they will consider playing in next year's Davis Cup competition," said Hafidz today.
He admitted that the results in Jordan were "regrettable".
"Naufal was flown into Jordan directly from the United States (where he is studying) and was paired up with Aiman in the doubles. The matches they lost were really close. If they had more time to gel together, they could have won them.
"From my personal point of view, the outcome was regrettable. We lost against nations we did not expect to lose to, such as Singapore, but on the other hand, we managed a surprise win against Vietnam.
"On the bright side, Darrshan, who is only 17, has shown some encouraging performances in recent seasons."
Malaysia defeated Vietnam 2-1, but suffered defeats to Indonesia (3-0), Saudi Arabia (2-1) and Singapore (3-0), which saw them finishing at the bottom of Pool A.
Malaysia went on to defeat Pacific Oceania 2-0 in a classification tie. The latter, who finished bottom of Pool B, were also relegated.
Hafidz said he was maintaining a positive outlook for next season and believed competing in the less competitive Group IV could give younger players an opportunity to shine.
He was confident Malaysia could secure promotion back to Group III next year.
"We have to accept and have an open mind about this. Like it or not, we have to keep fighting.
"I think it is the right time for us to give other players a chance to represent the country. Players who otherwise may not have had the opportunity before this."
The national women's squad will next compete in the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group II competition, which will be hosted at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur from July 15 to 20.