SINGAPORE OPEN 2010 – Family affair for Susilo

The guy is a famous local figure. Ronald Susilo, former top men’s singles player for Singapore even if he was born in Indonesia, had made the headlines when he beat then world number one and hot favourite Lin Dan in the first round of the 2004 Olympics. One Olympics and a half later, and after retiring from international competition for over two years, he is back in the picture. For how long?

“It all depends. This partnership could be a one time off, but could last longer,” Susilo hinted after his qualification for the main draw with brother-in-law Candra Wijaya.

“Candra has always been my role model and my idol in the sport, so, for me, it was an honor when he offered me to play with him. Of course, the future will depend on how we fare here, but mainly on our schedules as we are both involved into coaching and running our own Academy,” said Susilo.

While Candra was feigning a blush at his friend’s words, he kept the jokes going. “I only asked Ronald to play because he was the champion in the Candra Wijaya Doubles Tournament last month in Indonesia,” he laughed.

Top Academies

Candra and Ronald have more than a family member in common – Caroline, Ronald’s sister is also Candra wife – they now have a similar day job: they each run a badminton academy. Ronald Susilo’s academy has been launched in Singapore, promising “To champion and develop the trainees of the Ronald Susilo Badminton Academy to grow  professionally and mentally through our customised and structured training programs.”

Ronald hopes to be able to keep a foot in the circuit, somehow. “It’s difficult to come back after two years out of competition, even if I try to keep fit. Of course, I feel like the strokes are still there so my level is still ok.  I might be a little off stamina, but the real test will be on Wednesday against the English pair of Blair and Adcock,” said Susilo.

Candra Wijaya, Olympic gold medallist is still playing quite competitively with his club Tonami in Japan – he’s actually just come back from Japan, where they won the Interclub finals. “I still practice at home when I have the time but it’s not always easy when you run a business,” said the soft-spoken Indonesian. He however showed he hadn’t lost his touch during the qualification and some say this might be the pair to watch this week.

More information on the Academies:

Ronald’s Academy

Candra Wijaya’s Doubles Tournament here

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