Hendrawan: I deserved to win JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia should be thankful to Hendrawan for winning the world champion crown in the men's singles by defeating top favorite Peter Gade Christensen of Denmark 15-6, 17-16 in a tough 61-minute battle at San Pablo Stadium in Seville, Spain, on Sunday. His victory ended the country's six-year title drought. Hariyanto Arbi was the last Indonesian to bring home the title at the 1995 championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. Hendrawan -- who was born in Malang, East Java, on June 27, 1972 -- managed to break his runner-up jinx with his win. He took the silver medal in both the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games and 2000 Sydney Olympics. His marriage to longtime girlfriend Silvia Anggraeni on Jan. 7, 2001 had also aroused speculation about his sliding performance prior to Seville. Hendrawan attributed his victory to the supporting trio of coach Agus Dwi Santoso, physical trainer Paulus Pasurney and motivator Andrie Wongso. Speaking to The Jakarta Post from Seville by phone after his big day, Hendrawan shared his joy and plans for the future. Question: Congratulations on the victory. How do you see the win after your previously sliding performance? Answer: Thank you. It's nice to win again. I have proven myself to badminton fans. Up to now, people have considered me old, especially after getting married. With this win, I really hope people won't think that my marriage disrupts my career. Besides, Silvi has always thrown her weight behind me. I also want to prove that I'm not a runner-up specialist. I feel relieved. I was also motivated after Tony (Gunawan) and Halim (Heryanto, the men's doubles champions) won their match before my match. Do you take consolation in this win after losing to Chen Hong of China in the Sudirman Cup final? That's for sure. I hope my victory can erase national fans' disappointment in our failure to bring home the Sudirman Cup. I apologized to the whole team after my defeat and I'm really glad that none of them blamed me. How do your coaches see your victory? Mas (big brother) Agus told me after the match that I deserved to win. So did Oom (uncle) Paulus. They assured me that the victory was no coincidence, even considering Taufik Hidayat's withdrawal in the semifinals due to injury. I talked to myself after the match, still amazed, and I believe that I really deserved to win. You also observed how I had prepared myself for the big event. What exactly do you mean by your win was not a coincidence? People said I was lucky to reach the final. I attribute my victory also to Taufik. I consider it a gift from him. To be frank, Taufik is much better than me technically, and he's young too. While I only relied on my fighting spirit and my belief that I had the proper preparation for the event. There's no way that I could beat him. But I don't want to belittle my win. What is your plan after becoming the world champion? I am still aiming for the 2004 Athens Olympics. I know it will be harder than before. I have spoken to the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) officials to ask them to allow me to arrange my own training program and select tournaments for one year. I have to be realistic considering my age. I also told them to start fielding younger players to replace me, especially after seeing the Chinese team, dominated by young players. I want more juniors to join the 2002 Thomas Cup. I will only join them as a reserve. I will also ask PBSI to allow Oom Paulus to keep working with me on my physical fitness. You once mentioned plans to move to England as an assistant coach. Now after your win, do you still plan to do that? It's more difficult now. I said that when I was very disappointed with PBSI as everything went wrong after my failure in the All England. But now, I want to enjoy my victory. I believe that I can still be the country's best shuttler. It would be impossible to move to another country. What do you expect from your juniors? I want them to work harder to achieve more in the future. (yan)
Re: Hendrawan doesn't want to play for Thomas Cup! A great personality of World Champ Hendrawan. This is why hes my favourite player. I will always respect him for his attitude towards the game. Sad to see him on the verge of retirement
Re: Hendrawan doesn't want to play for Thomas Cup! I wouldn't read too much into those comments on future plans. They can always change. But perhaps Bbn was correct. Maybe Hendrawan doesn't want to slide into defeats at the end of this career, especially as a third singles player with all the pressure on him in a Thomas cup and everybody's expectations of him giving certain victory just because he is World Champion. Hendrawan, a true gentleman with foresight.
Re: Hendrawan doesn't want to play for Thomas Cup! Of course I think he's such a sensible and considerate man, just can't bear not being able to see him play..... : (
Re: Hendrawan doesn't want to play for Thomas Cup! Yes, Hendrawan is the most gentlemanly player ever. Always gracious in victory or defeat. The current crop of world class players, though younger and far superior in fitness compared to him, still encounter great difficulty in beating him.
