Hafiz hopes to revive sagging career under Hendrawan

KUALA LUMPUR : Singles shuttler Mohd Hafiz Hashim is ready to begin a new chapter in his badminton career under a new coach for the first time. After being under the wings of only one coach, Misbun Sidek, for almost a decade, Hafiz said that he had no qualms to seek new fortunes under the guidance of Indonesian Hendrawan. The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have hired the former world champion and it is learnt that two seniors players, Hafiz and also Kuan Beng Hong, will come under his charge together with several national back-up shuttlers. Both Hafiz and Beng Hong have reached a plateau, if not on a slide, in their badminton careers and the 37-year-old Hendrawan could give the duo the lift. National singles chief coach Rashid Sidek has been given the task to recommend the players to train under Hendrawan, who will report for duty on July 1. “A decision has not been made but I will give it a try to revive my career if I am placed under Hendrawan. I will follow the BAM’s decision,” said Hafiz. Hafiz has never benefited from any foreign coach since he came under the charge of Misbun in 2000 while other players, including world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has had the benefit of training under several coaches with strong credentials, including Denmark’s Morten Frost, Indonesia’s Indra Gunawan and China’s Li Mao. “It will be a new experience for me to train under Hendrawan. His training style and method may be different. He may be able to help me,” said Hafiz. The former Nusa Mahsuri player said that Hendrawan, who retired as a player in 2003, would not be a total stranger to him. “I played against him before and lost the group tie match of the Thomas Cup Finals (in 2002 in Guangzhou). As a player, he is known for his great fighting spirit and skills,” said Hafiz. “We always greet each other whenever we meet during tournaments. There is a good rapport between him and me.” In the absence of Misbun, who is currently on a long leave to care for his sick wife, Hafiz has been training under Rashid and is now gearing up for the Pahang Open in Kuantan from May 26-29. For the record, Hafiz, who is ranked 29th in the world, has not won a major tournament since his career-best victory at the All-England in 2003.