KUALA LUMPUR — For doubles ace Aaron Chia, nothing beats playing in as many tournaments as possible to keep his touch and composure sharp, especially with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics in sight.

The 2022 world champion, who partners Soh Wooi Yik, emphasised that the experience of playing in tournaments is vastly different from training sessions, despite the risk of injury.

“I like to play in many tournaments even though I’m already 28, to maintain the feel on court. That’s why when I play in tournaments, I’ll go all out — but winning or losing is secondary.

“Training is different even if you give 100 or 200 per cent. Sometimes in tournaments, you can only deliver 50 per cent because you get nervous or your opponent is simply in better form. But it doesn’t mean I don’t want to win,” he told reporters at the Academy Badminton Malaysia today.

At the same time, Chia admitted it is difficult for him to accept the notion that he is already among the best doubles players in the world.

“All players have different definitions of being ‘the best’. To me, being called the best means winning the World Championship, Olympic medals and all the major tournaments I participate in. But for other players, the definition may be different… (so) for me, I’m still not satisfied,” he said.

Chia and Soh are scheduled to face Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard in the opening round of the Arctic Open 2025, which will be held from October 7 to 12.He emphasised that he must do well at the tournament to qualify for the 2025 World Tour Finals.