KUALA LUMPUR: Top Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto believe it will be a major coup for Malaysia to secure the services of their mentor Herry IP.
World No. 4 Fajar-Rian are one of the many Indonesian top men's doubles created by Herry who is currently the frontrunner to replace Tan Bin Shen as Malaysia's national men's doubles chief coach.
Fajar hailed Herry as a coach with a meticulous approach and a father figure who moulded them into a world class pair.
He believes Herry would be able to raise the level of Malaysian men's doubles.
Under Herry's guidance, Fajar-Rian achieved world No. 1 status and also won the All England crown twice and numerous other World Tour titles.
With Malaysia already having a stable of strong pairs like world No. 6 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 14), Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri (No. 21) and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King (No. 23), Fajar feels Herry that could elevate them further
"We are so grateful to Pak Herry for grooming us from 2017 to 2023. He was the reason behind our success.
"We strongly believe he will be able to help Malaysian men's doubles rise to another level," said Fajar at the Axiata Stadium today.
"Herry is a coach with a meticulous approach. He focuses on individual strengths and weaknesses to help each of us achieve our true potential.
"He has so much knowledge and expertise, and will make a huge impact wherever he goes.
"And it is not going to be easy for us if he takes charge in Malaysia as we have to battle harder against Aaron-Wooi Yik and other pairs."
Besides Fajar-Rian, Herry had also guided Candra Wijaya-Tony Gunawan and Hendra Setiawan-Markis Kido to the Olympic gold medals.