TOKYO – Couple Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo is one of Indonesia’s representatives who can be relied on to donate gold medals in the event Tokyo 2020 Olympics. But unfortunately, the men’s doubles mainstay of Indonesia was not able to realize the expectations of many people because it had fallen in the quarterfinals.
Marcus/Kevin lost to a pair from Malaysia, Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, through two straight games with a score of 14-21 and 17-21 on Thursday (29/7/2021) morning WIB. Apparently, the expectations of many people made Marcus / Kevin play under pressure when appearing in the quarterfinal match.
This was stated directly by Marcus after the match against Aaron/Soh at Musashino Forest Plaza, Tokyo, Japan. According to Marcus, he and Kevin have failed to anticipate the pressure of a big event like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Marcus admitted that the pressure had affected their game. Instead of being able to play freely and at their best, Marcus/Kevin actually performed below their usual performance.
The status of world number one and the hope of donating a gold medal are suspected to be the cause of Marcus/Kevin playing under pressure. Moreover, the opponents are Aaron/Soh which they have always won in the previous seven meetings.
“We didn’t play well (against Aaron/Soh). We played under pressure since the game started. We think we need to evaluate everything,” said Marcus, as reported on the BWF’s official website, Thursday (29/7/2021).
