Kai Wun hopes French Open triumph restores Wei Chong confidence

SEPANG: Tee Kai Wun believes the French Open triumph has helped restore the confidence of his injury-hit partner Man Wei Chong after the pair ended their 17-month title drought in Paris on Sunday.

The world No. 8 men's doubles pair last won a title at the Super 500 Malaysia Masters in May last year, but Wei Chong's persistent right knee injury has threatened to derail his career since late 2024.

Wei Chong has avoided surgery and relied on treatment for a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), meniscus damage and a chondral injury in his right knee for more than a year.

Following a temporary reshuffle by men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, both players were paired with different partners before reuniting at the Denmark Open.

They suffered a first-round defeat in Denmark but bounced back to beat world No. 5 pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani in the Super 750 French Open final.

"I believe he will regain his confidence after this tournament. However, he has to manage his injuries well and hope he can try to end his struggle and fear caused by the injuries," said Kai Wun at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 (KLIA1) on Tuesday.

"This result was also unexpected because we didn't play well at the Denmark Open.

"After Denmark, I spoke to Wei Chong and told him that if he wanted to win, he had to change his mindset first. Only then can I help him.

"We have three more tournaments left and they will be our last tournaments of the year. We just want to give our best in each of them."

Kai Wun's encouragement appears to have had a telling effect on Wei Chong, as the duo finally ended their lengthy title drought after months of uncertainty surrounding their partnership.

During the reshuffle, Wei Chong partnered Soh Wooi Yik, while Kai Wun teamed up with Yap Roy King.

The highlight of the new combinations came at the Korea Masters, where Kai Wun-Roy King defeated Wei Chong-Wooi Yik to claim the Super 300 title.

The pressure intensified when Herry opted to pair Aaron Chia with Kai Wun for the Asian Games, leaving both Wei Chong and Wooi Yik out of the combination.

However, BA of Malaysia (BAM) coaching committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei allowed Aaron-Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun to reunite after the Asian Games following requests from the players.

The reunion has since restored momentum for both pairs. Wei Chong-Kai Wun ended their title drought, while Aaron-Wooi Yik finished runners-up at the Denmark Open and reached the semi-finals of the French Open.

Their successful reunion has also renewed hopes of competing for Malaysia's two men's doubles slots at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

However, Kai Wun believes players cannot afford to focus on Olympic qualification alone.

"I think every player has to be ready at all times. If we are talking about the Olympics alone, we may not have enough time.

"Badminton is not something that you can learn overnight and immediately achieve results. It takes a long time to develop and improve," said Kai Wun.

The duo's next assignment will be the Super 500 Korea Open in Yeosu City from Nov 3-8.