Chris and Gabby Adcock target mixed doubles title at the All England Championships
Last Updated: 02/03/15 4:43pm
Great Britain head coach Jakob Hoi is hopeful that Chris and Gabby Adcock can end a 10-year wait for a mixed doubles title at the All England Championships.
The world No 6 duo are Britain’s best hope of success at the tournament, starting on Tuesday at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.
They face a tough first round clash against Indonesian duo Markis Kido and Pia Zebadiah Bernadeth on Wednesday, but Hoi believes the Adcocks can rise to the occasion in front of home support.
We all want to perform but the strongest card we have at the moment is Gabby and Chris.
Jakob Hoi
“This is probably the strongest Superseries event due to the history and the All England is one everyone wants to win,” said Hoi.
“Our players will find it tough in qualifying, however, we are ambitious about the tournament.
“I have to be realistic this year as we are also still working out with our new doubles pairs. We all want to perform but the strongest card we have at the moment is Gabby and Chris. But it doesn’t mean they have to win. They just have to keep focusing on what they are working on.”
If the Adcocks advance, they could set up a last eight clash with Indonesia’s fourth seeds Liliyana Natsir and Tontowi Ahmad, who are gunning for their fourth successive All England title.
“There’s no doubt they are going for a head-to-head with the Indonesians,” said Hoi.
“They expect from themselves that they want to win,” he said. “They are very competitive and they don’t have any burden on their shoulders.”
Britain’s other main hope lies with unseeded Rajiv Ouseph in the men’s singles, but he received a tough draw against Korea’s third seed Son Wan Ho.
“When it comes to men’s singles in Superseries Premier it is very likely you will bump into a top 10 player in the first round and the Koreans are really strong in stamina and defence,” said Hoi.
“But Raj can play faster than he can when at his best. It will be really tough, but if he can deliver at the level we know he has, then he can push the Korean."
You can watch live coverage from the All England Championships this Saturday, starting at 12 noon on Sky Sports 3.
