KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi has hit back at his critics, with his much-debated reshuffle experiments beginning to deliver results following a string of successes on the international circuit.
World No. 74 Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King's triumph at the Super 500 Arctic Open three weeks ago, followed by world No. 8 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun's victory at the Super 750 French Open, has offered a timely endorsement of Herry's decision to experiment with new combinations.
Kai Wun had also captured the Super 300 Korea Masters in August, providing an early boost to the reshuffle strategy.
Despite facing criticism over the experiments, Herry maintained that the changes had always been made in the best interests of the players.
"We never said we were separating them permanently. It was only an experiment. Many people had all sorts of things to say, but now we are beginning to see the results, with the players reaching finals," he said at the Malaysian Badminton Academy (ABM) in Bukit Kiara on Tuesday.
"As a coach, I may know more than the netizens out there who have so much to say. I am here every day, and of course, I want what is best for the national players."
Herry also believes Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik were justified in asking the coaching team to reunite them, given their achievements as runners-up at the World Championships and the Denmark Open.
"Yes, they have already proved themselves at the World Championships, even though they did not win the title. We separated them earlier only as an experiment, not as a permanent split," added Herry.
While Aaron-Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun have reunited permanently, Aaron Tai-Roy King will continue their pursuit of further success when they begin their Hylo Open campaign in Saarbrücken later on Tuesday.
Aaron-Roy King will face Germany's world No. 63 pair Malik Bourakkadi-Kenneth Neumann in the first round.
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