Sigit and Chandra aim for records set by senior players<\/p>\n
By Primastuti Handayani<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): With four Grand Prix titles to their names, the
\ncurrent World No. 1 men's doubles Sigit Budiarto and Chandra
\nWijaya of Indonesia still feel they are a shadow of their senior
\ncompatriots and 1996 Olympic gold medalists Ricky Subagja and
\nRexy Mainaky.<\/p>\n
\"People know them much better than us. But we're not
\nsurprised, because they are our seniors and they won the Olympic
\ntitle. Of course, I'm jealous over the attention they get, but it
\npushes me to work harder to achieve more than they have,\" Sigit,
\nwho was born in Yogyakarta on Nov. 24, 1975 told The Jakarta Post
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
\"This is the first time we are playing in Jakarta before our
\nown public and also the first time we are taking part in a team
\nevent,\" said Sigit's partner Chandra, who was born in Cirebon,
\nWest Java, on Sept. 16, 1975.<\/p>\n
However, they have the ambition to equal their seniors'
\nrecords in international events. Although they have yet an idea
\nof taking part in the Olympic Games, they aim to win the title.<\/p>\n
\"The Olympic Games are still a long way off, but of course we
\nboth expect to win the title,\" Sigit said.<\/p>\n
\"We shouldn't underestimate our future rivals. China, South
\nKorea and Malaysia have potential doubles players who may block
\nus from winning the title,\" said Chandra.<\/p>\n
Chandra and Sigit won their first title at the 1996 US Open,
\nfollowed by the 1996 Chinese Open, the 1996 Thailand Open and the
\n1997 Chinese Taipei Open.<\/p>\n
They reached the quarterfinals in the 1996 Hong Kong Open, the
\nsemifinals of the 1996 Grand Prix Finals Championships in
\nDecember and the quarterfinals of the 1997 Japan Open in January.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very thankful to God because without his blessing, I'm
\nnothing. But still, I'm not satisfied with my record. We haven't
\ntaken part in major tournaments such as the All England
\nChampionships,\" said Chandra, who became Sigit's partner last
\nSeptember.<\/p>\n
Both are keen to win the world's prestigious All England
\nChampionships, which is to be staged from March 11 to March 15 in
\nBirmingham.<\/p>\n
\"Considering our potential opponents at the championships, I
\nthink we can reach the final. Hopefully, we can win it,\" said
\nChandra, a younger brother of World No. 4 Indra Wijaya.<\/p>\n
They admitted that playing in a team event such as the ongoing
\nA King Asia Cup is harder and involved more pressure in
\ncomparison to playing in individual tournaments.<\/p>\n
\"In individual tournaments, we only have to worry about
\nourselves. But for a team event, we must have good teamwork. The
\npressure is much higher and the burden is heavier,\" Sigit said.<\/p>\n
Number one<\/p>\n
Sigit and Chandra said being the top world players forces them
\nto work even harder than before.<\/p>\n
\"When I first learned we were on the top list, I was very
\nhappy. But we have to be able to stay in the top position. If
\nstart feeling burdened, we try to ignore it. Our motto is to play
\nour best,\" said Sigit, son of Sutoto and Nanik Sriniati.<\/p>\n
Sigit, the third child in a family of four brothers and a
\nsister, began playing badminton at the age of six. He joined the
\nDjarum club in Kudus, Central Java from 1988 to 1994. After
\ngraduating from senior high school, Sigit, who used to be a
\nsingles player, moved to Jakarta to join the club's Jakarta
\nbranch in 1994.<\/p>\n
\"My coach suggested that I try playing doubles, and I liked
\nit. I ended up as a doubles player until now,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sigit, who spends his spare time playing soccer and listening
\nto music, partnered Dicky in his early years at the National
\nBadminton center in Cipayung, since 1995.<\/p>\n
In September 1996, coach Atik Djauhari partnered him with
\nChandra and their record took off like a rocket.<\/p>\n
Chandra, the second son of Hendra Wijaya and Indranita, was
\nalso a singles player at the Rajawali club in Cirebon.<\/p>\n
In 1989, he followed in his brother's footsteps and joined the
\nPelita club, where he was picked to enter the center by the end
\nof 1993.<\/p>\n
Chandra, who loves to watch TV and hang around in malls,
\nchanged from a singles to a doubles player after contracting
\nliver disease in 1992.<\/p>\n
\"After I recovered, I was not allowed to play singles because
\nof my illness. I played doubles instead and started to like it.
\nBesides, my performance was not very bad,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Chandra partnered for almost three years with Ade Sutrisna,
\nwho now partners Ade Lucas, and won the India Open recently. They
\ncould not perform very well until they were split.<\/p>\n
Chandra and Sigit have the personalities of fire and ice. One
\nis very cool and the other is very explosive on the court. But
\nwhen they are not on the court, they are nice boys.<\/p>\n
Coach Christian Hadinata predicted that Sigit and Chandra will
\nbe able to maintain their standings among the world's best
\nshuttlers because they can cope with their position.<\/p>\n
\"They don't really think about their world rankings and that
\nhelps them to endure the pressure of being number one,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, Christian criticized their stamina.<\/p>\n
\"They have to work more on their physical condition,
\nespecially Sigit, if they want to remain as world elite doubles,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Christian, a former national doubles player, said Sigit had
\ngood technique, although he felt that he was not in top physical
\ncondition.<\/p>\n
Ambition<\/p>\n
Sigit and Chandra expressed hope that -- if they are chosen as
\nthe country's squad in the 19th SEA Games here in October -- they
\ncould win another title.<\/p>\n
\"We will join the centralized training program, but the
\nBadminton Association of Indonesia will select several players to
\njoin the main squad,\" said Sigit.<\/p>\n
\"But our main target this year is the All England and the
\nWorld Championships,\" Chandra said.<\/p>\n
The World Championships are to be staged in Glasgow, Scotland
\nfrom May 25 to June 1. It will be preceded by the Sudirman Cup
\nchampionships, from May 19 to May 24, at the same venue.<\/p>\n
\"We don't know if we have been appointed as team members for
\nthe Sudirman Cup. But I think taking part in the All England and
\nthe World Championships is enough. I don't think we can win
\nboth,\" said Chandra.<\/p>\n
Both declined to respond on whether they have girlfriends.<\/p>\n
\"If our fans know we have girlfriends, they won't chase after
\nus anymore,\" they both said, laughing.<\/p>",
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