Jonathan Loses, Indonesia Has No Representatives In The 2024 BWF World Tour Finals

Men's singles badminton player Jonatan Christie in his appearance at the BWF World Tour Finals 2024 (ARSIP PBSI)

JAKARTA Indonesia has no representative of the 2024 BWF World Tour Finals finals after Jonatan Christie's men's singles also fell in the semifinals. The crowd left this competition after losing three games 6-21, 21-15, and 13-21 against Anders Antonsen from Denmark on Saturday, December 14, 2024 evening WIB.

This is their second clash less than a month since the 2024 China Masters final at the end of last November. At that time, Jonathan had to settle for being runner-up after losing two games. In total, this is Jonathan's fifth defeat to Antonsen in their 11 meetings. Two of these numbers occurred this year.

This is the third time Jonatan has returned home in the semifinals of the BWF World Tour Finals. Last year he lost against Shi Yuqi, while in the 2022 edition Anthony Sinisuka Ginting was intercepted. Jonatan was eliminated in the semifinals with the men's doubles duo Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.

Fajar/Rian fell against Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin from Malaysia, while Sabar/Reza recognized the superiority of Danish representatives, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen. Indonesia as a whole sent six representatives to this event. However, the other three had already run aground in the group stage. They are Febriana Dwi Puji Kusuma/Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, and Dejan Ferdinandsyah/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja.

Indonesia's failure to win tickets to the final round of the 2024 BWF World Tour Finals is a big challenge for PBSI (Indonesian Badminton Association). Although badminton is Indonesia's mainstay sport, this result indicates the importance of an in-depth evaluation to improve and restore the glory of Indonesian badminton at the world level.

One of the main aspects that need to be considered is the mental strengthening of the players' competition. Many athletes, such as Jonatan Christie, seem to have difficulty maintaining performance consistency when facing high pressure, especially in the semifinals or finals. Therefore, PBSI needs to strengthen psychological support for athletes, so that they are better prepared for important matches in the future.

In addition, the training pattern of the players also needs to be evaluated and renewed. Repeated defeats to the same opponents, such as Anders Antonsen who beat Jonathan twice a year, show the need for more adaptive strategy and tactics.

The coach must be able to design a varied tactic, as well as strengthen the physical aspects of the players, given that many players seem to be declining in performance in the deciding games. With better durability, it is hoped that players can maintain their performance until the end of the match.

Special focus must also be given to sectors experiencing deficiencies, such as women's doubles and women's singles. The failure of Febriana Dwi Puji Kusuma/Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in major tournaments shows that there is still a gap between this sector and other countries, such as China, Japan, and South Korea. Therefore, these sectors need more attention in order to compete with leading countries.