World No. 2 men’s doubles shuttler Aaron Chia hopes the Malaysian Open will be rescheduled in the future, saying the tournament is currently held too early in the calendar and places a heavy physical toll on elite players.
Aaron pointed out that he and partner Soh Wooi Yik, along with other top players, only wrapped up the 2025 season two weeks ago at the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou. Despite that, they are required to immediately begin the new season with the Malaysian Open, a Super 1000 event traditionally staged in early January.
He suggested that the prestigious tournament be shifted to mid or late January — or even early February — to allow players adequate time to rest and recover before resuming competition.
Aaron stressed that this issue is especially significant for top-ranked players, as the world’s top 15 singles and top 10 doubles players are mandated to compete in all Super 1000 and Super 750 tournaments. Missing these events without valid medical reasons or exemptions could result in fines or other sanctions, on top of standard withdrawal penalties.
“Actually, I feel the Malaysian Open is a bit too early because the World Tour has just ended and there are only about two weeks in between,” said Aaron.
“I hope the timing can be adjusted, maybe to the end of January or the first week of February. If possible, the new season shouldn’t start with a Super 1000 event, especially when some players have just played in the World Tour Finals.
“It’s really tough. Over a year, you play 18 to 20 tournaments and then only get a week or two to rest before starting again. The schedule is extremely tight, and Super 1000 events can’t be skipped.
“For top players, there simply isn’t enough time to rest or train properly. Maybe the first tournament of the season should be a Super 100 or Super 300 event instead, so players can recover and prepare better,” he added.
