The Conundrum of Apri/Fadia's Declining Performance, the PBSI women's Doubles Trainer: Takes Time to Answer

The pair Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti. (Photo: Twitter @INABadminton)

JAKARTA – The decline in the appearance of the pair Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti in several tournaments raises a conundrum.

Head Coach of Women's Doubles Eng Hian said that what Apri/Fadia showed on the field was very different from their performance when practicing at the Cipayung national training center (Pelatnas).

"I can say that from the quality and capacity of the training results, it seems that only 30 percent appears or is displayed in the match," said Eng Hian in an official statement received.

Apri/Fadia's appearance in the last six months has not returned to what it used to be. Both have not been able to be at the peak of their best performances.

The good capacity that was shown during preparation in training seemed to be lost and could not be realized in matches. The most recent was when he took part in the 2023 Australian Open last week.

In the BWF Super 500 level event, Apri/Fadia, who were the seventh seeds, surrendered to the Thai pair, Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard, in a duel in two straight games.

"What is the reason they can't display the level of play to match the ability and quality as in training, of course, it takes time to answer. Are they now afraid of losing, haven't found the answer yet," said Eng Hian.

At the start, Apri/Fadia showed an impressive performance. They immediately won the 2021 SEA Games gold medal, won the 2022 Malaysia Open, and were runners up to the 2022 Indonesia Masters.

"Right now Apri/Fadia are again looking for the best form of play, starting from the technique and from the mentality of the match. They are expected to perform to their best performance like when they first paired up and appeared in international tournaments," said Eng Hian.