Introduction
Dato' Misbun Sidek (born 17 February 1960) was a Malaysian professional badminton player and coach. He is the eldest of the famous five Sidek brothers, all of whom were actively involved in international badminton scene.
Early life
Misbun received his early education in primary schools in Banting and then furthered his studies at Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur.
Datuk Sidek, his father, imagined his children becoming badminton aces starting with his first son, Misbun. By the age of seven in 1967, Misbun had begun to be seriously trained by his father at the badminton court in front of their house in Kampung Kanchong Darat, Banting, Selangor. The same routine was later passed on to his brothers, Razif, Jalani, Rahman and Rashid. In this early stage of their training, Razif was the most disciplined, with Misbun the most mischievous, often relying on his talent.
At age 9 Misbun represented his school in badminton and by 15 he was the national champion. At the age of 16, he was selected to represent Malaysia at the Asian Invitational Championships in Hong Kong and at the Australian Open (Silver Bowl). A year later Misbun was selected for Malaysia's Thomas Cup training squad.
Career
In 1980, Misbun partnered his brother, Jalani to win bronze medal by reaching the World Championships semi-finals in Jakarta. Misbun won his first men's singles title at the 1981 German Open. Then, he helped Malaysia's national squad to win the silver medal at the SEA Games. In the team event, he beat Indonesia’s leading player and reigning All England champion Liem Swie King. Misbun was named 1981 Malaysia's Sportsman of the Year, a feat he repeated two years later.
After defeating Morten Frost, and Prakash Padukone on his way to the final, Misbun suffered a disappointment at the 1982 Badminton World Cup by failing to clinch the title from a 10-1 third-set lead over Liem Swie King.
In October 1983, Misbun turned professional and signed a contract to be represented by the International Management Group (IMG), which then represented such sports stars as Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Sebastian Coe and Alberto Salazar.
In January 1985, the Sidek family made history when they became the largest sibling group ever to represent the country abroad in the same sports event. Misbun, Razif, Jalani, Rahman and Rashid were all selected to compete at the Hong Kong Open. In 1986 Misbun reached the final of the All-England Championships for the only time in his career but was beaten by Morten Frost.
Misbun's last full year at the top level of badminton, 1988, was rather special to him because he played on a Malaysia Thomas Cup team which defeated their arch-rival Indonesia for the first time in 21 years before losing the final to China. A year later, Misbun decided to retire at the age of 29.
Coaching
On retirement, Misbun acted as an assistant coach of the Malaysian national team before venturing into the car business. Misbun was on the coaching staff, and his brother Rashid Sidek played first singles, for the 1992 Malaysia team which captured the Thomas Cup after a 25-year drought.
He has coached Malaysia's leading singles players from the 1990s onwards, including his brother, Rashid, the Hashim brothers, Roslin and Muhammad Hafiz, and Lee Chong Wei. He was the Malaysian National Team coach from 2003 to 2010.
Achievements
Titles (8)
| Year | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | German Open (1) |  Syed Modi | 18-17, 15-10 |
| 1982 | Swedish Open (1) |  Icuk Sugiarto | 9-15, 18-14, 15-13 |
| 1983 | Swedish Open (2) |  Morten Frost Hansen | 9-15, 15-10, 15-13 |
| 1983 | German Open (2) | Steen Fladberg | 18-13, 15-6 |
| 1983 | Canadian Open | Jens Peter Nierhoff | 15-6, 11-15, 15-12 |
| 1985 | Malaysia Open | Michael Kjeldsen | 18-16, 15-3 |
| 1987 | Chinese Taipei Open |  Park Joo Bong | 5-15, 15-9, 15-3 |
| 1987 | Singapore Open | Eddy Kurniawan | 15-13, 15-8 |
Runners-up (3)
| Year | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Malaysia Masters | Morten Frost Hansen | 4-15, 7-15 |
| 1986 | Malaysia Open |  Zhao Jianhua | 10-15, 13-15 |
| 1986 | China Open | Icuk Sugiarto | 11-15, 13-15 |
Personal life
Misbun is the eldest son of Dato' Haji Sidek and the brother of Razif , Jalani, Rahman, Rashid, Shahrizan and Zamaliah. In 1987, Misbun married his sweetheart, Latifah. The couple had eight children but two have died. The six surviving children are Misbun Syawal, twins, Lia Murni and Misbun Ramdan, Lia Alifah, Lia Dewi Rubita and Misbun Awalauddin.