Shuttler Zulfadli checks in to camp during the fasting month

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YOUNG shuttling sensation Zulfadli Zulkifli is facing the most challenging season in coping with the holy month of Ramadan thus far.

Besides performing his religious duties over the fasting month, the 16-year-old admitted he had to adapt to the new training environment after joining national junior camp recently in the run up to the Word Junior Championships scheduled at Alor Setar in Kedah from Oct 23 to Nov 1.

“I missed the first week of training because I was trying to get into rhythm during the fasting month. It is going to be tough tackling the repetitive speed endurance track sessions drawn up by the fitness trainer.

“I have suffered muscle strain in my legs and have gone through treatment as a precaution to avoid injuries. The dynamic weights programme in the gym is also something new to me,” he added.

Staying in shape: (From left) Zulfadli, Zulfaiz and Zulhelmi getting ready for the evening training session after breaking fast with the family at home.

Earlier this year, he was part of the victorious mixed team side in his debut at the Asian Junior Championships.

But, his campaign in the individual boys’ singles ended in the quarter-finals.

The SMK Damansara Utama Form Four student took the defeat that prevented an all-Malaysia semi-finals as a valuable learning experience and jested that it was because his “rezeki belum sampai lagi” (good fortune has not arrived).

Zulfadli is confident that he will be ready to put up another fighting display with the more thorough and well-planned build up for the world junior meet.

“Considering that the selectors did not pick me for the two major junior tournaments last year, it is going to be a satisfying breakthrough to earn a place for both competitions.

“I am also getting quality sparring against my peers in the national junior set up. We are also required to move quickly around the court and aim for early execution.

“But, I am still struggling to produce the fine touches because my strokes are not as sharp,” Zulfadli said, adding that he will be competing at the Terengganu Open (Sept 30-Oct 3) and Tangkas International Under-19 (Oct 4-11) tournaments to prepare for the world junior competition.

Late evening session: Zulkifli (left) guiding the young trainees during the fasting month.

Although he was an early casualty in several international open tournaments, Zulfadli had the privilege to gain exposure under the sponsorship of the KLRC Bhd banner and was also a quarter-finalist in the boys’ singles contest at the Dutch Junior International this year.

“It is hard to predict the strength of the opponents at the upcoming world junior tournament. But, the field is going to be similar to the entries at the Dutch Junior International. I will give my best and try to reach the quarter-finals again,” he said.

In school, Zulfadli is also facing an uphill task as he is lagging far behind his classmates due to the hectic competition and training schedule.

His father Zulkifli Sidek said they were arranging for private tutorials for the science stream student to catch up on his studies.

During the fasting month, it is a rare treat for Zulfadli and his two other younger siblings - Zulhelmi, 13, and Zulfaiz, 15, - to savour their Indonesian mother Hanny Pranatyo’s home-cooked dinner.

“It is more convenient option for the family to break fast together outside on our way home as we are always on the go. But, we enjoy it when we get to savour my wife’s tasty dishes like gado-gado, curry chicken, chilli prawn and pulut for dessert occasionally when time permits,” Zulkifli said, adding that they had simple meals for sahur.

Recently, Zulkifli has also registered his own Zuls Badminton Club and has recruited 20 trainees aged between 10 and 19 years.

And they have opted to go through the paces for two hours at the Titiwangsa Stadium for three times a week on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 10pm over the fasting period.

“Usually, I prefer my children to train from 4pm to 6pm because they will get a longer recovery period after training on weekdays. We only want to keep them in shape and we have reduced the intensity in training.

“Zulfadli has been encouraging his two younger brothers to emulate his success at junior level. Both of them are improving because they get to play regularly against Zulfadli. But, they need to reduce their weight to be more competitive,” Zulkifli said.

For Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the family will be heading to Johor Baru to catch up with the families and friends over the festive celebration.