Q: Who is your biggest inspiration in life?
REXY: My parents. My father (Rudolph Mainaky) was an all-rounder but his passion was badminton. My favourite sport used to be football but it was my father who diverted my focus to badminton and I owe my success to him.
My mother Venna is the person who taught me a lot. What are the good things we should follow, the bad things we should avoid and most importantly, she thought us the importance of being God-loving human beings. She always stressed we are not perfect but praying to God improves the virtues of a person. I also read a lot about the success stories of individuals and from which I gained inspiration.
Q: Your training sessions begin and end with a prayer. How much do you think religion helped you to become better — as a player and now as a coach?
A: We can have all the talent and work hard but there is something beyond us that decides many things. Worshipping God is the way I grew up and religion has taught me not to be arrogant.
The results were coming last year but I did not lose faith. I’ve always believed that God will answer my prayers and it has happened. Religion also made me very disciplined as a player and I was able to overcome many obstacles with (partner Ricky Subagja).
I am a Christian and Ricky a Muslim but faith in our respective religions gave us the extra strength. There were times we struggled in major finals. Ricky would be saying "Bismillah" when serving while I would be praying in my own way and it always helped. This is why I encourage all my players to spend a moment on prayer in their own way and based on their religious beliefs. When nothing works, faith in God is the final solution.
Q: What is your favourite past time? What would you do on Sundays?
A: When I was a player, my favourite past time was to have a game of football with my friends. Now it is all about spending time with my wife (Henny Mainaky) and my children Geraldine (nine) and
Henny is a good cook and a good meal on Sundays is also something I look forward to. I also make use of the time to find ways to improve my players. I try to visualise the plans of my rival coaches in order to keep ahead. I think along the lines of what would I do if I were
Q: What is a perfect day for you?
A: Everyday is a perfect day for me. My routine is almost the same where I conduct training, return home, and have dinner with my family. Add it with time to attend church and time to catch a movie. That’s enough to make it a perfect day.
However, a one-off perfect day I’m waiting for is the men’s doubles final of the Olympics where my players end up winning the gold. Nothing can beat that.
Q: Who was your idol as a player and who would you like to emulate as a coach?
A: My favourite players are
Christian moulded Ricky and me into a world class pair and there were many others who attained fame. As a player, Christian was a great tactician, calm on court, never panicked and destroyed the opposition with little trouble. He pioneered the modern game and we were lucky to have him during our career.
Q: What prompted you to create the combination of Kien Keat-Boon Heong and how much more do you think they can achieve in their careers?
A: I had seen Kien Keat in action (before coming to
I had not seen much of Boon Heong when I arrived as he was away for some junior tournaments. When I saw him in training, I realised that he was the ideal partner for Kien Keat and felt the duo could go far. I tried them out for the first time in the Japan Open and their performance (they lost in the final) encouraged me to play them in the Asian Games and the rest is history.
The good thing is they are just starting and they can win many more honours. The sky is the limit for them. As long as they stay level headed and don’t allow distractions such as money and fame to cloud their young minds, they are capable of winning major events, with the Olympics gold their ultimate target.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: I would rather not think about that just yet but coaching is expected to be my long term profession. As of now, I will be with the Malaysian team until the Beijing Olympics and will only think about my future plans after that.
Q: Do you expect a better contract (when the present one expires in June)?
A: We have achieved some good results and I will also be taking charge of the mixed doubles. It is natural to expect a better contract but this is not for me to decide. It is not good if I request a salary which my employer is not comfortable with.
Both sides must be happy with the new contract and I leave this matter to my employer, (the BA of Malaysia) to decide.
