It is never easy facing teammates and fellow countrymen in important matches. It is especially not easy
when you are romantically involved with your opponent. We had a little chat with Imogen Bankier, Chris Adcock and Robert Blair about the matter.
In thelive streaming studio this morning
at Yonex Denmark Open, Badminton Denmark’s Rasmus Bech had Imogen Bankier as a guest for a talk about beating Robert Blair and Gabrielle White. The pairs train against each other every day and are even romantically involved.
- It is always a bit awkward to be honest. We train against them every
day and Chris is Gabrielle’s boyfriend, says Bankier.
Adcock and White are not the only couple in the British camp. Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork are not
only an item on the court but also privately. But an Olympic year is coming up and private life and badminton are being kept separate.
Bankier explains that even though the four players know each other, the competition is high and there is
no mercy when it comes to hunting points for the Olympics
- I’m not going to lie; it feels really, really good. We are trying
to get ahead of them and there is no love lost between the pairs. It’s very competitive. To beat the pair really stomps our mark on them and shows that we are better than them. It is a massive confidence boost and probably hurts them a bit as well, so yeah
it’s a good thing, says Imogen Bankier and continues.
-There are huge points up
for grabs and that is very important to us. Everybody is chasing points so it is one of the most important tournaments of the year and we hope to do well. We are definitely hoping to get a few more games under our belt.
Robert Blair also thinks it is difficult to play against teammates but takes it in good spirit.
- It’s always a bit strange when you practice together all the time
and Chris and Gabrielle are in a relationship so it is a big difference from normal, Blair says with a smile
When asked at the end which couple will be the biggest challenge, Bankier replies:
- Besides us of course the Chinese seeds are miles ahead - definitely the strongest pair. The Danes are strong
too however and always perform well at home.
Follow this link and
see a piece of the interview with Robert Blair and Chris Adcock.