Jonassen to bring hybrid playing styles at BAM

KUALA LUMPUR: Danish badminton legend Kenneth Jonassen is thrilled to introduce a hybrid of Asian and European playing styles to the national players after officially commencing his role as singles head coach with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) today.

Jonassen said it is his job to help each player develop to their full potential and aims to ensure they are motivated on a day-to-day basis.

“I want to talk individually with each player, as well as with each coach, and as a coaching team, before making any changes. So it is business as usual for the next two, maybe three, weeks because I want to understand the players, the coaches and the idea behind them and what motivates them before.

“I’m settling in with some of my ideas because I think understanding everything is the key and best motivation for us to move forward. I am grateful to be here but not out to make any major impact immediately,” he said when met at Akademi Badminton Academy (ABM), Bukit Kiara here today.

Meanwhile, touching on Jun Hao, the only BAM men’s singles shuttler who qualified for the 2025 Malaysia Open, Jonassen said that he would sit in the second seat behind coach K Yogendran and would go step by step.

He acknowledged that Jun Hao would face a tough challenge in the Super 1000 tournament especially with a difficult draw against China’s Lu Guang Zu in the first round.

Jonassen added that he wants to understand what is happening with another national men’s singles player, Ng Tze Yong, who is still traumatised by his back injury before taking any action that could help the 25-year-old.

“I think it’s natural for any player who has gone through surgeries to be cautious on their way back to the highest level. I want to meet up with him, and listen and understand how he’s feeling and what are his thoughts because it is his body.

Tze Yong previously missed the opportunity to make his debut at the 2024 Olympic Games after BAM confirmed that he was still not ready to resume high-level training and competition as it could risk his back injury becoming worse.

His injury woes began at the 2024 Malaysia Open, where he suffered a torn back muscle. This was followed by an injury to his spine at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC), which required him to undergo a series of surgeries.

BAM announced the appointment of Jonassen as the new national singles head coach on Nov 23, with a four-year tenure.

The 51-year-old Dane brings a wealth of experience having been instrumental in shaping Denmark’s badminton legacy during his 13-year coaching tenure and previously served as England’s head coach.

A former world No. 2 in men’s singles, Jonassen boasts an impressive playing career, having won prestigious titles such as the German Open, Korean Open, Dutch Open, and Singapore Open.

In his new role, Jonassen will work closely with ABM coaching director Rexy Mainaky to develop a comprehensive long-term plan for Malaysia’s singles programme.