Determined To Bring Home The Sudirman Cup, Marcus/Kevin: Tokyo Olympics Is A Lesson For Us

Kevin/Marcus (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The world's number one men's doubles, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, admitted that they are very motivated to bring the Sudirman Cup back to Indonesia.

For the pair nicknamed the Minions, their defeat at the Tokyo Olympics in August was a big lesson to keep improving and spurring enthusiasm to achieve achievements in the next tournament.

“Our motivation is great to bring the Sudirman Cup back to Indonesia. Yesterday's Tokyo Olympics was a lesson for us to keep getting better," said Marcus in an official statement from PBSI received by Antara in Jakarta, Sunday.

Furthermore, he acknowledged his shortcomings while playing at the Tokyo Olympics, namely in service techniques. He also expressed his desire to improve his appearance in this year's Sudirman Cup.

"At that time (Tokyo Olympics) I was still lacking in service technique, but now I'm slowly starting to improve," said Marcus.

Meanwhile, in the first elimination of Group C Sudirman Cup 2021, Marcus / Kevin contributed to the victory points for the Garuda squad over the NBFR (National Badminton Federation of Russia) team.

Marcus/Kevin beat the men's doubles ranked 14th in the world Vladimir Ivanov/Ivan Sozonov in two straight games with a score of 21-17, 21-18.

There was a number chase at the beginning of the first game. However, through a more attacking game and balanced by a solid defense, Marcus / Kevin were able to lead the points.

According to Kevin, in the first game, they actually played better. Unfortunately, this good game failed to be maintained in the second game because many made their own mistakes.

"In the first game, we actually played well. But in the second game, I made a lot of mistakes myself. So, I was left behind. We just try one point at a time, focus more and enjoy the game," said Kevin.

"In addition, we are also still adapting to the shuttlecock," he added.

In the first elimination of Group C, Indonesia won a perfect 5-0 victory over the NBFR team.

Besides Marcus/Kevin, the Garuda squad's winning points were also contributed by the men's singles Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, the women's singles Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, the women's doubles Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Ribka Sugiarto, and the mixed doubles Praveen Jordan/Melati Daeva Oktavianti.

In the first qualifying group C, same as Indonesia, Denmark also won a victory 5-0 over the Canadian team.

Based on the results of the first day of the match, according to the Badminton World Federation website, Denmark is at the top of the Group C standings, followed by Indonesia, Russia, and Canada.