National badminton legend Razif Sidek believes the professional duo are capable of excelling in top-tier competitions, following their impressive performances, including becoming the first Malaysians to clinch a title this season by winning the India Open 2025 (Super 750) in New Delhi yesterday.
“I think their level should be focused on Super 750 and above. From what I see, the higher the tournament level, the better their performance.
“They must be selective with their tournaments to maintain their performance and we hope they will continue to succeed,” he told Bernama.
At the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, Sze Fei-Izzuddin defeated South Korea’s Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae 21-15, 13-21, 21-16 to clinch the India Open 2025 title.
The achievement also ended Malaysia’s 15-year drought in the men’s doubles category at the India Open, with the last victory achieved by Zakry Abdul Latif-Fairuzizuan Tazari in the 2010 edition.
Razif stressed that prioritising only top-tier tournaments or limiting appearances to two per month is crucial for the world number two pair to conserve energy and avoid injury risks.
“A player’s performance cannot last across three or four tournaments a month. As humans, they need to compete in one or two tournaments, then take a break.
“Playing in three or four tournaments (a month) is not impossible, but that is more suited for development-level players. Since they’ve reached the top level, Sze Fei-Izzuddin must be selective so they can recover,” he said.
The Barcelona 1992 Olympics bronze medallist also highlighted the pair’s potential to surpass Denmark’s Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen as the world’s top-ranked pair soon.
According to the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin have accumulated 85,916 points, trailing the 2023 World Championship runners-up, who hold 95,003 points.
If Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin maintain their current momentum, Razif believes they could be strong contenders for the prestigious All England title in 2025, scheduled to take place in Birmingham from March 11 to 16.