I’ve conquered my nerves,  says resurgent Ratchanok

In her first two tournaments of the season, the world No 8 has successfully defended her crown in Kuala Lumpur, beating three-time world No 1 Carolina Marin of Spain in the final, before reach the quarter-finals in Jakarta, where she lost to Chinese Chen Yufei in three games.
Ratchanok, the 2013 world champion, said a prolonged rest during the off season had given her time to work on several aspects of her game and been a major factor in her improved form.
“I had enough time to practise and figure out what went wrong in my game. Earlier I gave into my nerves and lost some matches by making unforced errors,” said Ratchanok, whose success in Malaysia ended a year-long title drought since her previous success there.
“I’ve fixed this aspect and played better in the Malaysia Masters and went on to win. I have to keep working hard and hope to get even better throughout the year,” added Ratchanok who is now preparing for next month’s All England All England Championships in Birmingham, where she has twice finished runner-up, in 2013 and 2017.
Meanwhile Ratchanok’s club, Banthongyord Badminton School in Bangkok, has signed a sponsorship deal with the Khaotrachat rice company, who will support the club’s players, including two-time world junior champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
The 18-year-old world junior No 1 is determined to become the first boy to complete a hat-trick of wins at the World Junior Championships.
“To achieve this, I have to improve my physical condition,” said Kunlavut. “I have to get stronger to pave the way to the senior level and especially to have a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”