In 7 tournaments since that epic August evening in Copenhagen when he won the world title, the Thai is yet to reach a semi-final
Kunlavut Vitidsarn quickly tread past a few fans trying to take selfies before settling down on a sofa. Unlike his loud on-court demeanour which more often than not perturbs his opponents, the Thai is quite the opposite in life – shy, quiet and unwilling to make eye contact.
But the 22-year-old had to do away with his introverted nature when he became Thailand’s first men’s world champion last year.
In seven tournaments since that epic August evening in Copenhagen when he won the world title, the Thai is yet to reach a semi-final, losing regularly in the first two rounds. He also lost all three group matches of the year-ending BWF World Tour Finals last month, a tournament where he had reached the final in 2021. Disgruntled and unclear about what to do, Vitidsarn decided to pull out of several tournaments to give himself a break, rest and restart again this year.(HT)