Friday January 4, 2013
Arif is back from injury layoff and raring for action
PETALING JAYA: A bulky Mohd Arif Abdul Latif is raring for action after recovering from the back injury which forced him out of the National GP Finals last month.
The 23-year-old Arif has always relied on his speed, with his best result being a quarter-final appearance in the Hong Kong Open last November.
But his slight frame also meant he was prone to injuries, with the latest setback being the back injury suffered during the India Open GP Gold last month.
Now that he has fully recovered and all bulked up, Arif is to get going again when the six-day Malaysian Open begins on Jan 15.
“I did put on a bit of weight and hitting the gym at the National Sports Council (NSC) a lot more,” said Arif.
“My main weakness is my physical condition ... so, I’ve taken a few measures to shape up. Hopefully, that will also help improve my game.”
Arif, who is skipping the Korean Open from Jan 8-13, has set himself a target of breaking into the top 15 this year.
The world No. 33 will take on Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the first round of the Malaysian Open and an upset over the eighth seed will probably pit him against another Indonesian – the experienced Alamsyah Yunus.
If he gets past Alamsyah, fourth seed Sho Sasaki of Japan awaits in the quarter-finals.
“I’m quite confident of my chances against Sony. He’s a good player but too inconsistent of late,” said Arif.
“It’s 50-50, but if I start well, there’s no reason why I can’t beat him.
“I’m really looking forward to breaking into the top 15 of the world rankings this year and I’m targeting at least a quarter-final finish in my home tournament.”
Another reason why Arif’s keen on moving up the rankings is the chance to feature in the World Championships, which will be held in Guangzhou in August.
A country can send three players to the world meet provided all are in the top 24. Right now, Lee Chong Wei (world No. 1), Liew Daren (No. 16) and Chong Wei Feng (No. 21) are ahead of Arif.
That should be motivation enough for him.
- Yongbo: Beat us if you can, not good for China to win all the time
- Thai Ratchanok wins many hearts with her gritty display
- Indonesian Rexy's advise to M'sian team: Stick together as a family
- Tennis: Djokovic blocks Nadal path to Paris super eight
- Squash:M'sian Nicol beats New Zealander in straight sets to reach last four
- Squash: Matthew offers a message with a warning
- NBA: Pacers edge Heat to even series
- Golf: Molinari leads but Ryder Cup colleagues crash out
- Arat: Istanbul bid to host the 2020 Olympic is about building bridges
- MSSM meet: 15 records in five days augur well for M’sian athletics
- South Korea in seventh heaven
- F1 is a superego trip for Wurz's wife
- Make betting legal, says top Indian body
- NBA: Pacers edge Heat to even series
- Arat: Istanbul bid to host the 2020 Olympic is about building bridges
- Golf: Two share lead at inaugural rain-hit Pure Silk LPGA
- Golf: Kuchar leads weather-hit Colonial
- Kuchar one ahead at weather-hit Colonial
- Woods heads potent field for next week's Memorial
- Squash: Matthew offers a message with a warning
RSS
