Marcus Fernaldi Gideon revealed his reasons for hanging up his racket, aka retiring from the world of badminton. Marcus Gideon conveyed his decision to retire via Instagram to coincide with his 33rd birthday on Saturday (9/3/2024).
The gold medalist at the 2018 Asian Games and 2020 Thomas Cup admitted that he was satisfied with his achievements. Now it feels like the right moment for Marcus to hang up his racket. “Many say they can still (play), they still have prospects compared to The Daddies (Ahsan/Hendra) who are still playing at that age,” said Marcus to media at the Gideon Badminton Academy, Bogor, Sunday (10/3 /2024). “In my opinion, every human being has their own path, it is impossible to be the same as other people. I retired yesterday and was satisfied with the results and after a lot of consideration,” he said.
“I asked my wife and also chatted with my parents. In my opinion, this is the best decision to retire now and there is no need to compare yourself with others,” said Marcus. Marcus explained that he had intended to retire before undergoing surgery to heal his leg injury. He also had time to discuss with the Secretary General of PP PBSI, Fadil Imran.
He underwent surgery twice in March 2022 and July 2023, because there was a bone growing in his ankle. However, advice from the Secretary General of PBSI, Fadil Imran, made Marcus abandon his intention to hang up his racket. “Actually, to be honest, before the operation, I had discussions. I came to the house of the Secretary General of PBSI, Mr. Fadil. I asked how is this? I mean, should I go for the surgery ? If not, that’s okay. I just stopped,” said Marcus. “This means that with the achievements I have achieved, considering my age, I feel happy, very satisfied. Mr. Fadil suggested surgery first,” he said.
After the second operation, Marcus returned to the competition arena with a new partner, Muhammad Rayhan Nur Fadillah at the Syed Modi India International and Guwahati Masters 2023. Marcus was eliminated in the last 32 of the Syed Modi India International and reached the quarter-finals of the Guwahati Masters.
The results which were considered unsatisfactory also became a consideration for Marcus to retire. “Yesterday I played in India and the results in my opinion were not satisfactory. If you repeat from the bottom (small tournament), I think it will also be tough,” said Marcus.
“There are still a lot of others, there are Fajar/Rian and others. I mean just the young ones. I’ve been playing for quite a long time, I’ve been at national training for a long time,” concluded Marcus Fernaldi Gideon.
