Malaysian tennis cries out for hero to inspire next generation

New Straits Times

2 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian tennis is crying out for an icon. Without one, the next generation of players is at risk of falling into the same trap as those before them — full of promise, but ultimately going nowhere.
Globally, tennis is the most prestigious and lucrative racquet sport.
But in Malaysia, it sits far behind badminton, squash and even table tennis in terms of funding and attention from both the government and private sector.
The reason? Results.
Badminton has delivered Olympic medals, Thomas Cup wins and world champions like Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.
Squash gave us the legendary Datuk Nicol David, an eight-time world champion.
Even table tennis has seen Malaysian paddlers shine at the Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games.
These sports have heroes — icons like the Sidek brothers, Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Nicol, who not only inspired a nation, but convinced parents that their kids could have a future in sport.
Tennis, on the other hand, has no such figure.
And when there's no funding, development suffers.
We've never lacked talent.
From Adam Jaya in the early 2000s to Christian Didier Chin and Ahmad Deedat Abdul Razak in more recent years, potential has always been there. But without sustained support, almost all have fallen by the wayside.
Why? Because creating a world-class tennis player costs money.
Serious money.
You need top-level coaching, strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, nutrition and constant travel for tournaments to build experience and mental toughness.
And with the ringgit struggling against major currencies, it's a steep uphill climb.
What Malaysian tennis needs is a top-100 player.
That's the magic number.
Crack the top 100, and you're playing in Grand Slams and Masters events — the tournaments that matter, where sponsors and broadcasters pay attention.
That exposure would be a game-changer.
And Malaysia's best shot? The women's game.
A towering height isn't a must.
Italy's Jasmine Paolini, world No. 4 and just 1.63m tall, is living proof.
Skill, fight and smart scheduling can get you there.
Right now, we have two young hopefuls — Shihomi Leong (18) and Daania Hazli (15) — grinding it out on the ITF junior and futures circuits, mostly on their families' dime.
Shihomi already has four singles and five doubles titles.
Daania, playing in Europe, has made it to quarters and semis on clay and led Malaysia's junior Billie Jean King Cup squad to the final qualifying round in Kazakhstan last month.
But they're on a tightrope.
Like others before them, they risk running out of funds before making a breakthrough.
This is where Tennis Malaysia (TM) must step up.
TM has made strides with junior and national circuits, but support for players transitioning to the pro tour remains limited, largely due to funding issues, again stemming from the sport's lack of headline-grabbing results.
But that's a cycle that can be broken with the right investment.
Think of it as seed funding.
If these players succeed, TM succeeds too.
Sponsors will come. Government funding will follow.
Look at track cycling.
It barely had any support until Josiah Ng and later Azizulhasni Awang made headlines.
The same can happen in tennis.
One overlooked area is doubles, a quicker route to medals in multi-sport events.
A pair like right-handed Shihomi and left-handed Daania could be formidable with the right backing.
They should be touring together, with clay court tournaments high on the agenda.
Clay suits smaller-framed players, builds endurance and is easier on the body.
It also reduces the risk of early-career injuries caused by relentless play on hard courts.
Medals at events, like the Asian Games, can bring instant recognition and funding.
That's the power of results.
While the women's path looks more promising, the men's game shouldn't be neglected.
Take Mitsuki Leong, Shihomi's older brother.
Last year, he became the first Malaysian to win an ITF title since V. Selvam in the 1990s, and he's now ranked a career-high No. 603 on the ATP Tour.
That's progress.
TM shouldn't view funding these players as a burden or a criticism. Instead, this is their moment.
Led by president Mirzan Mahathir, the current TM executive council has a golden opportunity to reshape Malaysian tennis.
To succeed where past leaderships have failed. To finally end the drought.
Yes, it will take throwing the kitchen sink at the problem, but sports is a results game.
No wins, no rewards.
Our Southeast Asian neighbours have shown it's possible.
Indonesia had Yayuk Basuki. Thailand had Paradorn Sri-chaphan.
The Philippines now has rising star Alexandra Eala.
It's time for Malaysia to stop waiting and start believing.
The top 100 isn't a dream, it's a target. And hitting it could transform everything.
* Fadhli Ishak is NST's senior sports journalist and a tennis lover