Kuala Lumpur: Former national men’s singles player Muhammad Hafiz Hashim is vying for a place in the team for the 2016 Thomas Cup in Kunshan, China.
The 2003 All-England singles champion who is ranked 357 in the world hopes to represent Malaysia in the men’s team event for the last time before retiring in 2017.
For the record, Hafiz played in three Thomas Cup campaigns, namely in 2008 (Jakarta), 2010 (Kuala Lumpur) and 2012 (Wuhan).
“I’m still training and participating in several foreign tournaments to raise my world ranking to convince the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to include me in the 2016 Thomas Cup squad.
“GOD willing, if given a chance, I will give my best in the Thomas Cup tournament. I will be happy to be the third or fourth player,” he told Bernama recently.
Hafiz said he will play in the US Open tournament from June 16-21 and the Canadian Open from June 23-28.
He made a comeback at the China Masters Tournament after a break of about two years due to injuries.
Hafiz won the gold medal in the men’s singles at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and the gold medal in the mixed team event at the 2010 New Delhi Asian Games.
He founded Kelab Badminton Jaguh Tangkis, a private badminton club located in Kota Damansara.
–Bernama
