Chen Tang Jie is no stranger to change, and the Malaysian mixed doubles shuttler is ready to embrace another adjustment as Teo Kok Siang takes over as the national team’s new coach.
Teo is set to begin his role next Tuesday, following the departure of Nova Widianto, who played a major part in guiding Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei to Malaysia’s historic mixed doubles world title last year.
For Tang Jie, adapting to a new coach is simply part of being a professional player. The 28-year-old believes it is the responsibility of players to adjust to their coach rather than expect the coach to change his methods for them.
“For a good player, they should adapt to the coach, not the coach having to adapt to the player,” Tang Jie said.
“No coach comes in wanting their players to become worse. They will always want to help the players achieve more.
“So whoever our coach is, I will try my best to cooperate with him so that we can become a better combination.”
Source: NST
The changes come during a challenging period for Tang Jie. His regular partner Toh Ee Wei is recovering from an ACL injury that ruled the pair out of the World Championships in New Delhi, while Nova has returned to Indonesia due to family commitments.
With Ee Wei sidelined, Tang Jie will now begin another temporary partnership. He is set to team up with Cheng Su Yin at the China Masters, where they face fifth seeds Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui in the opening round.
Tang Jie said the new combination has shown encouraging signs during training, but believes their true potential can only be judged once they compete together in an actual tournament.
“No matter how good training is, we still have to see how we perform in a tournament because there are many uncertainties,” he said.
For now, Tang Jie is focused on making the most of the latest changes. With a new coach and a new partner, the experienced shuttler knows there will be another learning curve, but he is determined to adapt and continue moving forward.
