BENGALURU: The badminton world may be well aware of the Adcocks.Among their many exploits, Chris and Gabrielle have won mixed-doubles bronze in last year’s World Championships, and gold in the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
However, there is another couple from Vietnam. Nguyen Tien Minh and Vu Thi Trang are not as famous as the Adcocks, but they too are together both on and off the court. Primarily singles players, the two have been a positive influence on one another’s life since December 2016.Both the couples are part of this edition of the Premier Badminton League. The English duo is representing Chennai Smashers while the Vietnamese pair is with Bengaluru Raptors. Minh and Trang had met during a national camp in Vietnam a few years back.And going by the current World No 58 — the best men’s singles ranking for Vietnam — words, the union has given him extra batteries to carry on with the sport for longer.
“It is good to have my wife in the tour together. When I lose some matches and all, she is there with me, talks to me. If I am alone, I will remain upset,” said Nguyen, who is pleased to be playing for same team in the ongoing tournament.
There was point in Minh’s life when he decided to call it quits: after his failure in Olympic Games from 2008 onwards. The former World No 5 represented Vietnam three times, but results did not go according to plan.
“I was very disappointed. But, after that, I felt very bored, and didn’t know what to do. I thought if I do another job, then I will get bored more. My friends and family told me to continue with badminton, and then I came back. I am happy that I did. If I do another job, it is not my life.”
The retirement — during which he took up a coaching job — lasted for one month, and Minh was back on the court again, doing what he does best. Despite his bronze at the 2013 World Championships, Minh is still training his crosshairs on 2020 Olympics.
The Vietnamese star shuttler has been showing glimpses of his former self in the recent past. In September during the Singapore Open, Minh rolled back the years, getting past the likes of Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk as well as Indonesia’s Ihsan Maulana Mustofa to reach the semifinals of the event.
With quite a few big players in the mix, the 35-year-old feels that this event will give him a good picture as to where he stands. “I hope that I get a good ranking next year so that I can go for one more Olympics. I will try my best to get into Tokyo,” said Minh.
In Tuesday’s encounter, Hyderabad Hunters thrashed Chennai Smashers 5-0 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Hyderabad had beaten Pune 7Aces on the opening day. This was their second successive win.