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PV Sindhu to be helped by Hafiz Hashim ahead of her All England campaign


Former All-England champion, the elegant stroke-maker Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia will help PV Sindhu at the Suchitra Academy ahead of her All England campaign, Malaysian The Star newspaper reported.

Sindhu starts her campaign against Zhang Yiman and is in the same quarter as He Bingjiao and Tai Tzu Ying.

Pradeep Raju head of the Suchitra Academy confirmed the appointment, saying, “We wanted to make sure our athletes at Suchitra had a great coach. He’s a former All England champ who has played at the highest level and has the knowledge. Anyone who’s played at that level knows how to face challenges and adapt and win.”

Hafiz, resigned from his position as the junior coach with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) at the end of last year, The Star said, and had accepted the offer from the Suchitra Badminton Academy in Hyderabad to coach its trainees.

“Not just our trainees. Others are open to seek his coaching at our base,” he added.

“Of the players who retired in the last 20 years, Hafiz was one of the most intelligent,” Pradeep Raju added. Hafiz had wins against Taufik Hidayat and Lin Dan.

Hafiz, 40, told The Star, “I received an offer from the director of the academy, Pradeep Raju last year but I turned it down as I was still under contract with BAM,” Hafiz who has been coaching since 2018, told The Star.

“When my contract ended at the end of last year, he approached me again and I accepted it.

“Initially, my plan was to focus on developing my academy (Hashim Badminton Academy) further but this offer was too good to turn down.

“The director also asked me to provide some assistance to Sindhu for the All-England.

“I will not be her coach but will share my experience and help her in any way I can.

“Although Sindhu is now part of the Indian national team, she still trains at the academy about once or twice a week,” Hafiz told The Star.

Hafiz, known for his silken strokes and smooth footwork, won the All-England in 2003.

He has signed a three-year contract with the academy and is already in Hyderabad.

“I’m looking forward to this new chapter which will be my first coaching stint overseas,” Hafiz told The Star.

“This will be a good challenge as I need to learn how to handle different types of players in another country.

“I hope to become a better coach with this new assignment,” he added.

“The initial contract may be renewed. We are looking at a long term view,” Pradeep Raju added.





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