Why didn't Sony Dwi Kuncoro have a coach tonight at the HK open against Takuma Ueda? When Takuma Ueda went up 11-6 in the second set, Sony Dwi Kuncoro looked back at the coach's chair and remembered he didn't have a coach. There has to be an Indonesian national coach available to give him advice because the entire Indonesian national team is at the HK Open.
That's sad if the whole Indonsian coaching staff abandoned SDK to go have Hong Kong dim sum. :-( Maybe they think the veteran doesn't need advice? Seems like a long time since Sony has even been discussed on BC. Well, SDK, you have at least one Canadian fan. Good luck for the rest of the season!
Depends whether he is playing as an independent player or as part of pbsi. If independent player, then he wouldn't necessarily be able to pay for a coach. Seperate organizations.
Sony has the courage to get to the top again. He practices harder and harder now. But he still need time to atleast get some grip on his game. I really hope the best for him. He will always be my favourite player.
Immense victory over Lin Dan for Sony Dwi Kuncoro at the 2016 Singapore Open MS Semifinals. Congratulations, Sony!
It is so nice to see him do well, again. Looks like Lin Dan wasn't at peak consistency. And Sony is not as limber as he used to be. But he still got skills. Way to go Sony! Knew you could do it! (oh darn, I had just recently dumped him from "favourite MS" in my profile. Please forgive me SDK)
Simply amazing man!!! This guy has persevering for so long batting his back injury and he is back on top of podium in SIN SS after he won it 6 years ago. Give him a big thumbs up!!!! We hope he can still make some noises like Lee hyun il.
Yeah Big Congratulations Sony Dwi Kuncoro!! Two thumbs up! WOW! Welcome back Sony Its so great to watched you again What a fabulous games! Fabulous badminton! And, Fabulous week to be The 2016 Singapore SS Champion Hope he stay healthy, competitive, and keep play around on top level badminton~~ If only he can play in the Olympic Rio ^__*
From an interview Sony talked about his recent effort to be back in his good form. He was broken when he left PBSI on 2014. He left Jakarta to his hometown Surabaya. He's got no badminton club, no manager, no coach and doesn't know how to start his independent career. He left badminton. This women he married to, Gading Safitri is the one who believe in him that he is not done yet. He still has that skill. So she started everything from a scratch. She arranged the training program, she chose a better diet plan and managed his tournament trip especially in overseas. Then when Sony was ready they start from a smaller competition. Finally in 2015 Sony won 1 International Challenge and 1 GP title. And finally yesterday a Superseries title. What a story from this calm guy. Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei are lucky to get married another Badminton stars, Taufik is lucky having a rich general's daughter as his wife. But Sony is lucky as well to have this wonderful women as his wife. And she is pretty. Hope he'll win more titles this year. Bless you Sony!
a nice article about the disappointments of Sony in badminton broken his heart , and how his wife helped him fight through it. Sorry its in Indonesian language, maybe you can use googletranslate Karena Sony Sudah Terlatih Patah Hati Sony Dwi Kuncoro bangkit lagi dengan membuat kejutan di Singapura Terbuka Super Series. Bertanyalah kepadanya bagaimana dia begitu terlatih patah hati. "Cedera, cedera apa? Tidak ada cedera kok, saya baik. Gelar juara ini buktinya kalau saya baik-baik saja," kata Sony dengan bibir yang tak pernah berhenti tersenyum. Jawaban itu diberikan Sony tepat setelah dia mengukuhkan diri sebagai juara Singapura Terbuka pada Minggu (16/4/2016). Sony meraih titel itu setelah mengalahkan pemain Korea Selatan Son Wan Ho dengan skor 21-16, 13-21, 21-14 dalam tempo satu jam dan tiga menit. Sony terlihat sudah mau mati di game kedua. Nafasnya mulai putus-putus dan sering membuat kesalahan sendiri. Tapi, dia bangkit di game penentuan. Hasilnya, Sony menyajikan klimaks tontonan di hari Minggu buat penonton yang hadir di stadion atapun publik Indonesia yang nonton via streaming ataupun televisi kabel setelah laga Greysia Polii/Nitya Krishinda Maheswari versuspasangan Jepang, Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi, batal digelar. Bahkan Sony sendiri tak menyangka bisa menjadi juara. Apalagi jalan menuju partai puncak amat terjal. Pemain 31 tahun itu harus merangkak lewat kualifikasi. Maka jika normalnya pemain yang langsung tampil di babak utama menjalani lima laga, Sony harus menambah dua laga lagi dalam satu hari. Di semifinal dia malah harus berjumpa dengan 'Super Dan' Lin Dan yang masih menunjukkan konsistensi di super series. Sementara Sony, sejak meninggalkan pelatnas di pertengahan 2014 sudah tak pernah lagi jadi juara di turnamen bintang empat dan di atasnya. Sudah begitu kemenangan itu sekaligus membayar tuntas dendam para pemain Indonesia lainnya. Bisa-bisanya di Singapura Terbuka ini semua pemain tunggal Indonesia, kecuali Anthony Ginting, harus berjumpa dengan Lin Dan yang mengoleksi dua emas Olimpiade. Pertama-tama Ihsan Maulana Mustofa yang menjadi korban Lin Dan, kemudian berlanjut dengan Jonatan Christie dan Tommy Sugiarto. Ya, Sony jangankan juara, untuk ikut serta saja dia kesulitan. Bukan hanya soal prestasi, Sony sempat tak punya klub setelah tak lagi menjadi pemain PB Jaya Raya Suryanaga Surabaya, tak mempunyai pelatih, tak mempunyai manajer, juga sponsor untuk mendanai tur mengikuti turnamen-turnamen. Bahkan, keinginan dia untuk melanjutkan karirnya di bulutangkis sudah kosong. Semua habis-habisan. "Setelah saya keluar (dari pelatnas), saya seperti patah hati," curhat Sony pada kemunculannya di Indonesia Terbuka 2015. Dengan hati terluka itu, Sony pulang ke Surabaya. Dia sempat antipati terhadap bulutangkis. Cara paling brutal adalah dengan menolak semua turnamen. Padahal kala itu peringkat dunianya masih lumayan. Dia masih bisa tampil di Kejuaraan Dunia, juga China Super Series, Denmark Terbuka tanpa kualifikasi. Tapi, Sony memilih larut dalam marah dan luka. Dia memutuskan untuk mengambil langkah paling gampang: menyalahkan keadaan. Patah hati itu dirasakannya jauh-jauh lebih dalam ketimbang luka di tahun 2008. Satu momen menyedihkan dan membuatnya patah terjadi di tahun 2008, tepat setelah pulang dari Olimpiade Beijing. Sony yang pulang tanpa medali dari Olimpiade di China itu dicuekin pengurus dan barisan pewarta. Sony dengan kepala menunduk menepi menjauhi gerombolan meriah fans, pengurus, dan media untuk Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan yang meraih emas juga Maria Kristin Yulianti yang membuat kejutan membawa pulang medali perunggu. Sony kandas di babak perempatfinal kala itu. Situasi yang amat kontradiktif ketimbang empat tahun sebelumnya, kala dia pulang membawa medali perunggu dari Athena. Dia dan Taufik Hidayat yang meraih emas mendapatkan sambutan meriah. Semua media berlomba-lomba mengejar dia dan Taufik. Luka itu kembali didapatkan Sony saat Piala Thomas 2014. Masih konsisten bermain di super series dan peringkatnya masih unggul ketimang para pemain tunggal putra nasional lainnya, dia malah tak dipanggil masuk dalam tim Thomas. Hati yang patah berulang kali itu pelan-pelan disembuhkan sang istri, Gading Safitri. Gading terus memompa semangat Sony. Pelan-pelan Sony mulai membuka diri dan mau kembali ke arena bulutangkis. Gading yang pernah menjadi atlet bulutangkis meski level domestik tahu rasanya jatuh dan patah hati seperti yang dialami suami. Dia atur lagi latihan dan pola makan Sony yang sempat awut-awutan. Dalam prosesnya Sony bergabung dengan Tjakrindo Masters, Surabaya. Dia kemudian menapaki lagi langkah-langkah kecil di bulutangkis. Dimulai dari turnamen-turnamen lokal, sirkuit nasional, ajang challenge, kemudian grand prix. Hasilnya lumayan. Sony bisa juara Indonesia Challange tahun 2015, kemudian naik podium tertinggi di Taiwan Masters. Kesulitan-kesulitan di atas lapangan sudah tak berarti ketimbang kerepotan menyelesaikan urusan visa, hotel, dan detail kebutuhan di setiap turnamen. Meski sudah bertahun-tahun menjalani profesi sebagai pebulutangkis, urusan ini itu di luar pertandingan biasanya sudah diselesaikan PBSI. Sony dan paa pemain pelatnas hanya perlu berangkat bawa badan. Urusan cedera? Jika dulu ada saja cedera yang jadi keluhan Sony, rasa patah hati yang berulang itu sudah mengalahkannya kini. Cedera pinggang, cedera telapak kaki dianggapnya sebagai teman kini. Dan sekarang Sony telah membuktikan dirinya belum habis. Dia seperti terlahir kembali. Bisa jadi di antara seringnya patah hati yang didapatkannya, Sony masih berpegang teguh kepada kalimat "Tidak masalah seberapa sering kita jatuh, yang terpenting adalah seberapa cepat kita bangkit". Dengan tambahan gelar di Singapura itu, Sony masih menjadi tunggal putra Indonesia dengan koleksi gelar super series terbanyak sejak tahun 2007, yakni lima kali. Dia diikuti Simon Santoso dengan tiga kali menjadi juara, Taufik Hidayat satu kali dan Tommy Sugiarto juga sekali. Bisa jadi gelar juara Sony akan berlanjut. Iya siapa tahu karena Sony tentu tak ingin merasakan patah hati lagi untuk kesekian kalinya. Lagipula, bukankah lebih menyenangkan saat bisa berdiri di atas podium paling tinggi? Source: http://m.detik.com/sport/raket/3190164/karena-sony-sudah-terlatih-patah-hati
Gading (Ivory), his wife, is not the ordinary manager and coach. The beautiful woman also become one inspired Sony to emerge from periods of adversity. Tireless support of the wife succeed in making Sony discovered a bright light at the end of the dark tunnel that passes for almost two years.
As the saying goes, behind every successful man is a great woman. How very true, especially in sdk's case. He has come a long way from his career low point. Very happy to see him standing at the top of the podium of the Singapore Open SS.
I just think had Sony changed his style earlier, he would have a better career. I always thought he was trying to hard to smash everything and do the hard play, always giving 100% and forcing himself rather than more of net play, deceptions and patience he does now. that's one reason I think he had so many injuries. Maybe he wanted to be diffrent from Taufik Hidayat, but I think he could just learn the tips earlier
I I see differently. I have been following Sony's career since he won Asia MS title when he was 18 or 19 (2002 perhaps). Winning over Taufik Hidayat. How I see it, Sony is always a rally kind player with amazing game plan set up. He is not always winning easy points, his score when he win even to a lower rank player is not like LCW who is almost always destroyed his opponents with convincing scoreline. From my view, that kind of play is demanding to his body as he most of the time need to endure long rally before final kill. IMHO.
Agree with Naistav. Sony didn't rely on an overly aggressive style, but a rally style that was quite physical. One of the first professional matches I ever saw was a youtube video of Sony's battle with Lin Dan in the 2007 World Championship. He was thoroughly trounced in Game 1 and the first half of Game 2. Then Sony let loose with deception and patience in his rallies. (The English announcer said something like, "We are being treated to such a rich variety of stroke play".) He almost stole that second game. And even in losing he smiled. That is why Sony became my first badminton hero. Talented. Humble. And "lovably inconsistent". Here's hoping for continued success for Sony Dwi Kuncoro (2.0 version).
We shared same badminton hero, Fidget. I like your quote of "Lovably inconsistent". and also I share same feeling of the English announcer that, I feel that have been treated with lovely playing style from Sony. On most of Sony' game, you can expect that the opponent will run to four corners back and forth before finally killed with smash or deception (or failed finishing hahaha). But Sony motion flow will likely get disrupted with high speed player like LD or LCW that can intercept his plan. while his rally style require patience and consistency to stick to his game plan very tidy way, many times that Sony failed as well .
