KUALA LUMPUR: Tournament fatigue and social media are the main issues in modern badminton.
Former World No 1 Roslin Hashim said challenges faced by shuttlers today should not be ignored.
He said Lee Zii Jia and Ng Tze Yong's performance at this week's Singapore Open will very much depend on how well they recover from tournament fatigue.
Roslin, a member of the BA of Malaysia technical advisory panel, worked closely with both men's singles players when he was part of the Malaysian Sudirman Cup team in China last month.
He said Zii Jia and Tze Yong could go far in the Super 750 event if they have fully recovered from their previous outings.
World No 10 Zii Jia was in sensational form at the world mixed team championships but ran out of steam at the Malaysia Masters a fortnight ago, crashing out in the second round.
Tze Yong, on the other hand, showed glimpses of brilliance at the recent Thailand Open by defeating Taiwan's world No 7 Chou Tien Chen in the second round but could not maintain his form as he bowed out in the quarter-finals.
With the Olympic qualifiers in full swing, Zii Jia and Tze Yong have no choice but to face top players from the get-go in most tournaments.
For the Singapore Open, Zii Jia will play Malaysia Masters finallist Weng Hong Yang of China in the first round, while Tze Yong takes on Ireland's Nhat Nguyen.
"From the little time I journeyed with both players at the Sudirman Cup, I know they can go far when at their best.
"However, the recent tournaments have exposed how important it is to recover properly from fatigue.
"We saw what happened to Zii Jia at the Malaysia Masters and Tze Yong at the recent Thailand Open.
"I hope Zii Jia has used this time well to recover fully ahead of the Singapore Open after skipping the Thailand Open. If he is in good shape, I don't think there will be any problem for him.
"The same for Tze Yong, he is still learning. He can beat players like world No 1 Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) and Tien Chen, but he can also lose the next day. This is a learning curve for him," said Roslin.
Roslin, who has always been critical of the state of Malaysian badminton, also noted that times have changed, and the challenges faced by players today cannot be ignored.
"The struggle is real. We are now in the era of Badminton Lovers and social media."Players like Zii Jia are well aware of this. As Malaysia's No 1 men's singles, every move is national news. It is part and parcel of being in the public eye.
"To say that these things don't affect players today is very naive. I didn't have to deal with them during my playing days, but it's different now.
"Hopefully, our players will learn how to manage this pressure. Players should also speak about their struggles and challenges with their coaches and other support service staff.
"If they keep quiet, no one will know," added Roslin.
