Indonesia desperately needs commendable successor to Taufik Hidayat
A lost glory in the arena of badminton pinches severely to Indonesia to the maximum, as the country has been ruling the entire world with pride in the past. All shuttlers of Indonesia, especially in the category of Men’s Singles, are struggling hard to get
into the top-ten circle in the world rankings. However, only veteran Taufik Hidayat has managed it to reach at number eight but there is no commendable successor to him when he retires next year.
Losing the top position for a country, where badminton has gained popularity from one corner to the other, becomes quite worrisome. Indonesia has been producing World Champions and Olympic Gold medallists for years in the past. But currently, no Indonesian
is capable of repeating the history in the Men’s Singles category.
The former World and Olympic Champion, Taufik Hidayat, who is currently ranked at number eight in the world standings, is on the verge of retirement as he is consistently losing his form and world ranking. For the last 10 months, the Indonesian legend has
been losing to un-seeded and even unknown shuttlers in different tournaments.
Hidayat has served the country for more than 15 years and has earned almost every major title in the world of badminton. His only missing title is the All England Open, where he remained unlucky to win glory. But now, the 30-year-old is going down at international
stage with his growing age.
The 2004 Athens Olympics gold medallist and 2005 World Championships winner, Hidayat is expected to leave international arena next year after 2012 London Olympics. But alarming fact for Indonesia is that there is no commendable success to Hidayat as the
rest of the shuttlers, in the Men’s Singles category; do not have highest skills which are required to become World or Olympic Champions.
Simon Santoso is the second highest ranked Indonesian in the Men’s Singles world standings. But the quivering performance of Simon keeps him out of the row of great shuttlers. He does not have the ability to perform consistently at international level. Instead
of making rapid progress, he is struggling hard to get into top ten positions in the rankings at the moment.
Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka and Tommy Sugiarto are two most competent and talented shuttlers after Hidayat and Santoso. But both players lack the finishing touch in their game which is required to beat the top shuttlers in the world of badminton.
The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) must be thinking over the fact that after the retirement of Hidayat, no other shuttler will replace him for a long time. No one is at the stage to replace him because of the declining standard of game in the
country. Even in the under-19 category, no shuttler has made his mark yet at international tournaments, which indicates that the future of badminton in Indonesia is in danger.
The competition is getting tougher at international stage and many other nations are also catching up rapidly. Besides the top nations including China, Korea, Denmark and Malaysia, many other countries are also bridging the gap including Japan, India, Vietnam,
Chinese Taipei and England.
If things in Indonesian badminton proceed in the similar manner, the country will fall into the category of second stringers. The concerned authorities should take quick steps to promote the game at the grass root level, which will generate potential shuttlers
who will be capable of beating the top shuttlers of the world in the Olympic Games and World Championships.
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