Indonesia’s world No. 1 pair, Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Ferlandi Gideon, has shown that it is their fighting spirit that makes them unbeatable, says their coach.

Kevin and Marcus defended their All England title on Sunday, claiming their sixth title since winning the 2017 China Open.

In the All England final, they outclassed second seeds Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen of Denmark 21-18, 21-17 to win their second title.

Indonesian national coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said they were committed shuttlers who did not surrender easily.

“Kevin and Marcus are true fighters. They work really hard, are very committed and they don’t back down. Other than that, they maintain trust in their coaches, which is also an important factor,” Herry was quoted as saying by the Indonesian Badminton Federation (PBSI) website, badmintonindonesia.org.

It took shuttlers with strong character to be able to repeat their success in the prestigious All England, the oldest badminton tournament, and both Kevin and Marcus own such virtues, said Herry.

The coach said the All England, the World Championships and the Olympics were the toughest competitions in the world. Kevin and Marcus have not yet won a World Championships or Olympic medal.

“If you’ve won all those tournaments, you’d naturally grow the self-confidence of a champion,” added Herry.

Among other legends, Indonesia has Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir, the former world No. 1 mixed pair who have collected victories from the three aforementioned tournaments.

Before the All England started, shuttlers around the world voiced their concerns over a new rule, which sets a new fixed height for serves at 1.15 meters. It was believed that the new rule would hamper tall players.

However, for Kevin and Marcus, who both are of medium height, the new rule benefited them.

“The new rule definitely complemented Kevin and Marcus’ style. Players these days like to call it a ‘stealing serve’ because you look for an opportunity [to produce points] from serves,” explained the coach.

In Sunday’s finals, a backhand from Kevin wrapped up the Indonesians’ journey with a victory as they fought valiantly for 42 minutes at the Barclayscard Arena in Birmingham. The match, which featured a serious fight back from the Danes, was punctuated with fast shots, but few rallies.

When asked what their secret was in defending the title and in being consistent since last year, Marcus said he just wanted to play his best in every match. Echoing his partner, Kevin said playing at the All England
was fun.

“It is a prestigious tournament. It’s the world’s oldest tournament and I’m always happy to play there,” said Kevin.

On his social media account, Marcus said, “In the old days people doubted me, but who knew what the future would bring? Who knew that God really blessed me this much? Thank God for all the blessings.”

Kevin and Marcus have won 13 titles in A-class tournaments on the Badminton World Federation calendar since last year.

The last six wins were the 2018 All England, the 2018 India Open, the 2018 Indonesia Masters, the 2017 World Superseries Finals, the 2017 Hong Kong Open and the 2017 China Open.

With their incredible quality, Kevin and Marcus will likely be the favorites to win gold medals at the upcoming Asian Games in August and September.

Popular

Yearender: Civil movements take center stage in 2025

Another year lost in the energy transition

Let hope overcome fear