Rashid said the poor performances of the national men’s singles players in recent tournaments suggest that Malaysia will face a difficult time during the cup finals from April 24 to May 3.
“Realistically, it is difficult (for Malaysia) to become champions. One of the factors is our men’s singles lineup. From there alone you can see the disadvantage compared with other countries that have top-10 players,” he told Bernama.
“Which of our men’s singles players became World Tour champions last year? If there were any, they were not at major tournaments.
“Also, look at our top player, Leong Jun Hao, who was eliminated early on in the five tournaments he took part in this year. It’s not that we’re underestimating him, but that is the fact.”
Apart from Jun Hao, who is ranked world No 23, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will be relying on Justin Hoh (ranked 40th), Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin (52nd) and professional player Lee Zii Jia (83rd) to shoulder the nation’s challenge in the Thomas Cup.
The last men’s singles World Tour title for Malaysia came through Zii Jia, who won the 2024 Australian Open.
Among the singles shuttlers in this year’s Thomas Cup squad, Aidil was the last to win a title, clinching the 2025 Sri Lanka International Challenge.
Rashid said Malaysia’s strength in men’s doubles would not be enough to offset their handicap in the singles category.
“Our strength is more in doubles, but if one pair loses, it will cause major problems for the team. We need two points from doubles if we want to win. So, the men’s singles must also step up,” he said.
Malaysia’s men’s doubles challenge will be led by world No 2 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, as well as Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, and professional pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
Rashid, who was part of the squad that last lifted the Thomas Cup for Malaysia in 1992, said reaching the semi-finals would be considered a good achievement based on the current lineup in Horsens, Denmark.
“If they manage to reach the semi-finals, it would be good with the current squad we have. A medal would be in hand, and at least national pride would be preserved,” he said.
Malaysia have been drawn in Group B with Japan, England and Finland.
On the national squad for the 2026 Uber Cup, also in Horsens, Rashid said the return of world No 2 pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah would strengthen Malaysia’s challenge after they missed the previous edition in Chengdu, China, to focus on preparing for the 2024 Olympics.
However, he expects the Malaysian women to face a tough challenge in securing a place in the semi-finals.
“China, Indonesia and South Korea are strong teams in the Uber Cup. If we meet any of those three teams in the quarter-finals, winning would be very difficult,” he said.
The other players in the Uber Cup squad are K Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching, Siti Zulaikha Azmi and professional player Goh Jin Wei in the singles event, while the women’s doubles pairs are Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting and Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah.
The women’s team have been drawn in Group B with Japan, Turkey and South Africa.