Gregoria Mariska Cancels Sudirman Cup Entry

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Ahead of their departure to China for the Sudirman Cup badminton championship, the Indonesian team has replaced one of its athletes. Gregoria has unfortunately had to withdraw from the team due to illness.

Gregoria's illness, which was diagnosed as vertigo, became apparent when she withdrew from a simulated match held at the badminton training center in Cipayung, Jakarta, on Monday (21/4/2025). In the match that featured fellow athletes from the Sudirman Cup team, Gregoria was replaced by Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo to compete against Putri Kusuma Wardani.

Simulation is part of the preparation before appearing in Xiamen, China, from April 27 to May 4. The Indonesian team, which will depart on Thursday, is one of the 16 participating teams.

The competition starts from the preliminary phase in four groups with a round robin format. Indonesia will compete with Denmark, India, and England in Group D to compete for the top two positions as a condition for qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The Chairman of the Development and Achievement Division of PP PBSI, Eng Hian, stated during the simulation event that Gregoria did not participate in the simulation due to illness. "She is experiencing dizziness and vomiting," he said.

On the same day, the Chairman of PBSI Fadil Imran stated that Gregoria canceled her appearance in the simulation due to illness. "The certainty of her departure awaits the doctor's recommendation," he said.

Given Gregoria's condition, PBSI contacted the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Monday evening while awaiting recommendations from the doctor. Communication with BWF was necessary because the registration deadline for athletes had passed on April 14.

PBSI has finally confirmed that Indonesia's number one women's singles player will not strengthen the team at the Sudirman Cup on Tuesday morning. "Gregoria Mariska Tunjung will not depart for the 2025 Sudirman Cup after being diagnosed with vertigo by a doctor. Gregoria must take complete rest for several days to recover her condition," said Eng Hian.

In accordance with BWF's approval, the former men's doubles athlete continued, Gregoria was replaced by Ester in the team. Thus, the women's singles sector is reinforced by Putri and Ester as Indonesia's second and third athletes, below Gregoria.

Putri has performed quite well since September 2024 after taking a two-month break from tournaments to address all factors and reorganize her motivation. This year, she reached the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Open Super 1000, the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Masters Super 500, as well as the semi-finals of the Thailand Masters and the Swiss Open Super 300.

In addition to the results, the quality of her performance has also improved. The 22-year-old athlete defeated Gregoria in the first round of the Malaysia Open and forced other top world players, such as Chen Yu Fei, Wang Zhi Yi, and Ratchanok Intanon, to play three games.

Ester, who is 20 years old, has shown her potential since her junior years when she became a semifinalist at the 2022 Junior World Championships. As she progressed to higher levels, she won the Indonesia Masters Super 100, became a semifinalist at the Korea Masters Super 300 in 2023, and then reached the final of the Australia Open Super 500 in 2024.

However, Ester had to withdraw from the tournament since September due to an injury to the left shinbone. She only returned to competition in March 2025 at the Ruichang Master Super 100 tournament and reached the semifinals. After that, Ester lost to Pusarla V Sindhu in the first round of the Asian Championships.

The women's singles coach, Imam Tohari, shared that he was initially worried because Ester's ankle was sprained during the match at the Ruichang Master. Upon returning from there, Ester underwent therapy.

"Initially, with training at an intensity of 70-100 percent, Ester could endure for 2-3 days. After that, her condition improved. With training at the same intensity, she can endure from Monday to Saturday, so she is fit to participate in the tournament," said Imam.