[Saba Sports News] From his playing days to his coaching career, Indonesian Rexy Mainaky has built an outstanding reputation in team events. He will get a chance to lead Malaysia to glory at the Thomas & Uber Cup Finals to be held in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24 to May 3, aiming to end Malaysia’s 34-year title drought and recapture the Thomas Cup for the first time since 1992.
In an interview with Badminton World Federation (BWF), the doubles coaching director of the Malaysian national team stated that team competitions have always been special to him. He won the Thomas Cup in 1994, becoming the first person in his family to lift the trophy, calling it a moment of great pride. Indonesia then began its era of dominance in the Thomas Cup, winning consecutively in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002, before China later claimed five straight titles.
As a coach, he has also led teams to strong results at the Thomas & Uber Cup. While coaching Thailand in 2018, he guided the Thai women’s team to reach the Uber Cup final on home soil for the first time in history. Rexy revealed that the art of coaching lies in trusting players and giving them the chance to shine. Looking ahead to this edition of the tournament, he vowed to end Malaysia’s 34-year Thomas Cup title drought, saying he has full confidence in the Malaysian squad.
In the editor’s opinion, ending the 34-year Thomas Cup drought is a reasonable target, yet it will be extremely difficult to achieve due to realistic factors such as an aging squad and frequent injuries within the Malaysian team.