Fri, 14 Feb 2003 NSTP Advertising Badminton/ All England: Graig Nunis HE may not want to accept it but perhaps it is time for Wong Choong Hann to consider paying a visit to a mental trainer. The Kuala Lumpur lad has all the skills, finesse and fitness to be a true great but it is his lack of mental strength which is holding him back. Choong Hann can play like the king of the world one moment only to flop in the next round. His Jekyll and Hyde performance was all too apparent in his second round loss to teammate Yong Hock Kin in the second round of the All-England Open yesterday. There were flashes of brilliance tempered with moments of pure rubbish. Choong Hann himself admitted he has a problem concentrating during a match and while he did not use that as an excuse for his loss, the second seed must take action to curb the problem. "I have always believed that the only person who can help me overcome this problem is myself," said the China Open champion. "I have never considered seeing an expert on mental strength as I do not believe in them. "I admit my mental strength is now as good as some of the top players. There are times when I am not as confident as I should be. "Personally, I know it is all in my head. I just need to find a way round this problem. If I can't do it myself, then maybe, just maybe I will seek some outside help." Choong Hann could still afford a smile despite his loss and was busy giving advice to Lee Tseun Seng ahead of the latter's match against Marleve Mainaky of Indonesia. "Just because I lost, it is not the end of the world. I believe I have become a better player in recent years and one thing I learnt is that there is always another day," said Choong Hann, who is expected to be seeded second for next week's Swiss Open. "I will now continue training in Birmingham before we depart for Switzerland. I hope to make up for my loss in England by doing well there." Meanwhile, Chinese coach Li Yongbo said he is not surprised by the many upsets in the All-England men's singles competition. The former doubles great, who won three All-England doubles titles with his partner Tian Bingyi in 1987, 1988 and 1991, said the strength in depth of the men's game is at an all time high. Asked if China, with four players in the final 16 will continue their dominance in the singles - they have won four of the last six singles crowns, Yongbo replied: "I don't think so. "We may have four players in the final 16 but only two are likely to survive to the quarter-finals. "This year's All-England is the most open in living memory. Anyone can win the crown. "That is what is so exciting about the competition. Obviously I want a Chinese player to win but I will not put my money on it."
