Reigning Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia has said that he would focus on preparations for the All-England in March and the Beijing Olympics in August this year, according to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) on Tuesday.

 

Taufik said in Kuala Lumpur that he had no high expectations for the Malaysia Open, and for him, doing well in the All-England and the Beijing Olympics were his main targets.

 

The Indonesian top shuttler admitted his condition was not good at this time of the year as he was still recovering after a slight back injury after the South East Asian Games last month.

 

He said that he was playing in the Malaysia Open to get back the tournament feel and work hard to get back into top form after it.

 

Taufik also disclosed that he would not be playing in the South Korean Open next week so that he had about one-and-a-half month to prepare for the All-England.

 

He said that he had never won the All-England title too and he hoped to challenge for it this year.

 

The All-England title was the only major title that has eluded Taufik so far in his badminton career. He was twice the runner-up at the All-England in 1999 and 2000 respectively.

 

A good outing in Birmingham this time should bring the 27-year-old closer to earning another shot at qualifying for the Beijing Olympics, BAM said.

 

Taufik currently is the second ranked Indonesian at number seven in the world, one rung below his teammate Sony Dwi Kuncoro. The duo is battling with Simon Santoso, who is currently ranked at number 11, as the two Indonesian representatives in the Beijing Olympics, according to BAM.

 

Taufik also said that he was quite tiring as he played in 14 tournaments last year.

 

He hoped that he can spend more time with his family, which would also help him to prepare better for the Olympics.

 

This should be his last Olympics and he hoped to do well, said Taufik.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2008)