The Badminton World Federation (BWF) selected the five most influential men’s doubles in badminton in the last 10 years. Of the 5 BWF selected men’s doubles, two Indonesian representatives, namely Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon / Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, are included in the list.
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon / Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo are currently not deterred as the world’s number one men’s doubles, while Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan are in second place. The former badminton player who is currently a BWF commentator, Gillian Clark, revealed the reason Ahsan / Hendra became one of the influential men’s doubles.
“Why are they so influential? Because their careers are long. They have won three world titles over a period of seven years,” said Gillian Clark in a video uploaded to YouTube BWF TV. “For Hendra Setiawan, he has won four world titles in 12 years. They are clear evidence that age does not really matter in this sport.”
Ahsan / Hendra are no longer young as badminton players. Mohammad Ahsan is currently 33 years old, while Hendra Setiawan is 36 years old. However, Ahsan / Hendra are still among the ones who are considered in the men’s doubles sector.
After returning to pairing in 2018, Ahsan / Hendra progressed by appearing in 11 finals throughout 2019, more than Marcus / Kevin who reached 9 finals in the same year. “Ahsan / Hendra are still one of the best in the men’s doubles because of their great tactics and their ability to read the game. Despite separation at the end of 2016, they paired up again in 2018 and reached more finals than Marcus / Kevin in 2019,” added Gillian Clark.
Apart from Ahsan / Hendra, Marcus / Kevin have also been included in the five influential men’s doubles pairs in the last 10 years. In this case, Gillian Clark highlighted the fast play shown by Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. “A lot of people believe that speed makes men’s doubles matches the most exciting to watch. However, Marcus / Kevin have taken the men’s doubles game to a new level. They, especially Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, have shown that a daring style of play can be a recipe for success.” added Gillian.
The three other couples who are included in the five most influential men’s doubles, namely Cai Yun / Fu Haifeng (China), Mathias Boe / Carsten Mogensen (Denmark), and Lee Yong Dae / Yoo Yeon Seong (South Korea).
