In the high-stakes world of competitive badminton, physical endurance and tactical brilliance often dominate the spotlight. However, it is the intangible battlefield of the mind where many matches are ultimately won or lost. This has become a focal point for Malaysian women’s singles coach Nova Armada as he turns his attention to one of the nation’s brightest, yet mentally vulnerable, talents — 21-year-old Cheng Wen Xin. While Cheng has often dazzled on court with her agility, deceptive strokes, and powerful smashes, her Achilles heel has repeatedly been her inability to cope with pressure during critical stages of matches. Now, Nova is determined to change that.
The coach, known for his calm demeanor and emphasis on mental preparation, believes that Cheng possesses the raw ingredients to rise to the top of the women’s game — but only if she can fortify her mental resolve. With a series of psychological setbacks affecting her performance in recent tournaments, Nova is putting mental resilience training at the center of her development. This long-form feature explores the mental challenges that have hindered Cheng’s progress, how Nova plans to address them, and why mental strength is emerging as the next frontier in badminton development.
The Rising Star with Cracks Beneath the Surface
Cheng Wen Xin burst onto the international scene three years ago when she upset several higher-ranked players at the Asian Junior Championships. Her elegant footwork, natural feel for the game, and tactical maturity far beyond her age immediately turned heads. The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) touted her as the next big thing, and expectations soared. However, as she transitioned into the senior circuit, the challenges began to mount.
At multiple tournaments — including the 2024 Indonesia Open and the Malaysia Masters — Cheng crashed out in early rounds despite leading in most of those matches. She often lost after holding a comfortable advantage, particularly when opponents began mounting comebacks. Fans and analysts noted a pattern: once under pressure, Cheng’s game would unravel. Tight smashes turned into errors, confidence evaporated, and her decision-making faltered.
“She has all the tools,” said Nova in a recent interview. “But when the moment gets tough, she retreats into herself. That’s not a technical problem. That’s a mental wall we have to break.”
Her coaches have long acknowledged the issue, but only recently has it become the top priority. According to BAM insiders, Nova convinced the coaching panel to allow him greater control over Cheng’s training schedule to incorporate weekly mental conditioning sessions — a rarity in the badminton world where technical drills still dominate.
What Went Wrong Case Studies in Collapse
To understand Cheng Wen Xin struggles, one only has to look at three key matches from the past year that illustrate her mental fragility under pressure:
- Malaysia Masters 2024 – Round of 16 vs. Kim Ga Eun (Korea)
Cheng led 21-18, 16-9 in the second game, poised for a straight-sets victory. Then, a couple of unforced errors snowballed into a collapse. She lost 16-21, then 12-21 in the decider. Her body language grew tense, and her shots lost sharpness. - German Open 2025 – First Round vs. Julie Dawall Jakobsen (Denmark)
In a tightly contested match, Cheng had three match points at 20-17 in the third game. She failed to convert any of them, appearing hesitant and overly cautious, before ultimately losing 22-24. - SEA Games 2025 – Semifinal vs. Supanida Katethong (Thailand)
Under the pressure of representing Malaysia, Cheng appeared overwhelmed from the start. She committed 11 unforced errors in the first game alone and never found rhythm, losing 12-21, 14-21.
Each of these losses shared a common thread: Cheng’s inability to stay mentally composed during high-pressure moments. While she displayed brilliance early in matches, the mental strain of closing them out proved too much.
Nova’s New Strategy Building the Athlete from the Inside Out
Nova Armada is no stranger to grooming raw talent into champions. Having previously worked with Indonesian and Malaysian junior programs, he’s developed a reputation for nurturing athletes beyond just their physical potential. With Cheng, he sees a unique opportunity — and challenge.
“Coaching Cheng is not just about fixing her backhand or improving her stamina,” Nova said. “It’s about helping her trust herself when the crowd is loud, when the score is tight, when everything seems to be slipping away.”
To achieve this, Nova has implemented a multi-tiered approach:
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Mental Skills Coaching with a Sports Psychologist
Nova has enlisted the services of Dr. Farah Azman, a sports psychologist who previously worked with national divers and gymnasts. Cheng now meets Dr. Farah twice a week to undergo mental conditioning, visualization techniques, and stress management drills.
“Visualization is key,” says Dr. Farah. “We train her to replay high-pressure situations in her mind, but with a focus on control, calmness, and composure. It’s like a muscle — the more you train your mind to handle pressure, the more naturally it reacts during real matches.”
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Pressure Simulation Drills
Nova introduced pressure-based sparring sessions where Cheng must play sets against stronger sparring partners with handicaps — for example, starting 0-8 down or being forbidden from using her strongest weapon (her cross-court smash). These scenarios force her to find solutions under duress.
“Sometimes we even blast crowd noise or simulate tournament atmospheres,” Nova explains. “She needs to make peace with the noise — external and internal.”
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Emotional Journaling and Self-Reflection
Cheng now maintains a performance journal, where she writes down her thoughts post-match — wins or losses — and identifies emotional triggers that led to lapses in performance. Nova reads the entries and discusses them with her once a week.
“It’s important she understands what’s happening in her mind, not just what went wrong technically,” says Nova.
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Match Simulation with Decision Training
Nova uses video playback to stop key points in previous matches and asks Cheng to predict or choose optimal decisions. This sharpens her ability to stay focused and strategic even under stress.
Cheng’s Perspective “It’s Like Starting Over”
For Cheng, the new mental training regime has been both eye-opening and uncomfortable. “At first, I thought something was wrong with me,” she admits. “But Coach Nova helped me see that it’s normal to feel pressure. The problem was that I never learned how to handle it.”
She confesses to overthinking during matches, fearing failure, and letting emotions spiral. “Sometimes I’d be winning 18-12 and suddenly panic: ‘What if I blow this?’ Then I’d actually blow it.”
However, Cheng also reports feeling a shift. At the 2025 Thailand International Challenge — her first tournament since beginning the new regimen — she reached the final. Most impressively, she saved five match points in the semifinals against Singapore’s Jin Yu Lin before winning 26-24 in the third game.
“I stayed calm. I focused on one point at a time. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt different,” she said, smiling.
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