TANG JIE SETS SIGHTS ON BECOMING A 'COMPLETE’ SHUTTLER

KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 (Bernama) -- National doubles shuttler Chen Tang Jie aims to be a versatile player, just like his idol Seo Seung-jae of South Korea.

Tang Jie said his decision to give it a shot in men's doubles while remaining a permanent fixture in mixed doubles was part of efforts to enhance his skills and help forge himself as a more complete shuttler.

"I am not like Seo Seung-jae. I'm just Chen Tang Jie, so that's why I want to try and learn from other men's doubles shuttlers to further improve my game.

"I personally asked the coach to let me play in both doubles events. In doubles, I still consider myself a rookie… I just hope I won't be a burden to my partner,” he said when met at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) here today.

Seung-jae is an excellent player in men's doubles as well as mixed doubles and is currently considered one of the most versatile shuttlers, thus Tang Jie's fascination with the South Korean.

For the record, Seung-jae is the first South Korean player in 24 years to have won two gold medals in a single edition of the BWF World Championships - emerging triumphant in the mixed and men's doubles event in 2023 by partnering Chae Yoo-jung and Kang Min-hyuk respectively.

"If you ask me, yes, I am impressed with him. He is an excellent all-round shuttler. But I am still far behind… I just hope that I can be just like him one day,” said Tang Jie, 27.

For now, though, Tang Jie is more focused on the next two competitions - the Taiwan Open (May 6-11) and Thailand Open (May 13-18) - with his new partner Chan Wen Tse in mixed doubles.

"Earlier, I asked her: Are you scared to partner me? I told her that although we do not know what the future holds, I will always take our partnership more seriously and hope that it will work out well and we will be compatible,” he said.

He added that there is no such thing as a senior or a junior when it comes to mixed doubles pairing because what is important is the spirit of mutual support and continuing to learn from one another.

Asked about the possibility of him combining with Toh Ee Wei again, Tang Jie said he would leave that decision completely to the panel of coaches.

"I am just a player. Whatever the decision is, I will do what is best for both of us,” he replied.

The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) had previously announced that the mixed doubles combination of Tang Jie and Ee Wei would be split up following a decision taken at the Performance Committee meeting.

-- BERNAMA