Marcus Gideon: Kevin Sanjaya And I Are Required To Always Be Champions
JAKARTA - Becoming the world's number 1 men's doubles partner for Marcus Fernaldi Gideon is not an easy thing. The reason is, in every tournament, of course, the number 1 player will be in the spotlight and are required to be able to win.
Marcus Gideon debuted as Kevin Sanjaya's partner for the first time in 2015. However, they only had a lot of success in 2017, where the couple nicknamed The Minions managed to reach nine finals that year.
Of the nine finals won by the Marcus / Kevin pair, they won seven finals. It was the year of the awakening of the country's flagship men's doubles pair.
Their struggle for three years paid off by being ranked No.1 in the men's doubles world. In fact, since 2017, The Minions has never stepped off the throne until now.
The Marcus / Kevin pair also managed to break the record as a men's doubles pair who managed to be ranked 1st in the world for a long time. They passed the achievements of the South Korean couple, Lee Yong-dae / Yoo Yeon-seong.
Badminton lovers in the country really love the Marcus-Kevin couple. But behind that, there is a heavy burden on their shoulders when they want to start a match in a tournament.
In a live Instagram with PP PBSI on the @ badminton.ina account, which was quoted on Sunday, June 14, Marcus Gideon explained the target he and Kevin Sanjaya must always carry every time they play in a tournament.
"There must be a lot of pressure. Moreover, the higher the pressure, the more. Now, if we go (compete), the target is to win. The final is considered a failure," he said.
"But because this is a hobby and a job, I just enjoy it and do my best," added Marcus Gideon.
Marcus / Kevin's achievements in 2018, they are still consistent, where The Minions managed to reach nine finals, and managed to convert them to eight titles.
Meanwhile in 2019, the Marcus / Kevin pair made it to the eight badminton tournament finals. Remarkably, all the finals were converted by the pair to become champions.
In 2020, before the tournaments were stopped due to the pandemic, the Marcus / Kevin pair had only reached two finals, and won only once.