Kevin/Rahmat Couple Debut Must Be Postponed

Rahmat Hidayat had to postpone his debut in pairs with Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. (Photo via Antara)

JAKARTA - The desire of Indonesian badminton lovers to see the first action of the pair Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Rahmat Hidayat had to be postponed. The reason is, the newly paired men's doubles canceled their first appearance at the end of August 2023.

Kevin/Rahmat are scheduled to appear for the first time in an official competition at the Indonesia International Challenge (IIC) and Indonesia Masters 2023 events in Medan, North Sumatra.

They canceled their appearance because they were considered insufficient preparation. "Yes, it's not going to be (in). The preparation is still not enough, the time is also not enough," said Rahmat.

Rahmat ensured that the cancellation was purely based on inadequate preparation time. He denied the news of this cancellation because he had not found any chemistry with the senior.

"There are no obstacles during training, we also practice together every day. Actually, we just have to wait, we must debut," said Rahmat, as quoted by Antara.

During the preparation period at the Cipayung National Training Center, Rahmat said that there were no big obstacles when paired with Kevin. It's just that they are still struggling with changing roles that still need adjustment.

"Those who are adjusted to the way they play in the field, and those who have not been able to enter the turnaround or rolling. We still haven't found the right one," said the badminton player who graduated from the PB Djarum club.

Meanwhile, from myself, Rahmat admitted that he was still adapting to changing his playing position. Rahmat, who was previously a forward, now has to get used to being a defender.

Although he did not mind his new position, Rahmat said the role was more energy-consuming than being a forward.

"It's hard to find it easy, because usually practice in front, but now behind. So it's more tired," said Rahmat