Jonassen ready to talk tough to London 2012 hopefuls

FORMER badminton world number two Kenneth Jonassen will play a key role in helping home players achieve their potential at the London 2012 Olympics.

VALUABLE: English and British number one Rajiv Ouseph will benefit from the experience of new coach Kenneth Jonassen in the build-up to London 2012 (Getty Images)

Jonassen - who appeared for Denmark at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and won the European singles title in 2008 - has now started his role as men's singles coach, following his appointment by Badminton England earlier this year.

England have three men's singles players in the world's top 35 with three-times English National champion Rajiv Ouseph knocking on the door to the world's top 20 at number 23.

And Jonassen's appointment will be key in helping them take the next step, with the World Championships also due to be staged in London next year.

"I'm looking forward to this new challenge," said Jonassen, who since retiring two years ago has performed a similar role in his native Denmark.

"My personal goals are clear: bringing the singles event to another level on the international stage and, over time, developing new talent that can compete with the best of China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Denmark.

"It's going to take a lot of hard work but I believe that the talent is there."

Jonassen - who once held the fastest smash world record - will be joined at Badminton England later this year by fellow Dane Jens Grill, who takes over as performance chief in September.

And he would his new charges to expect some tough talking.

 "When they think they have reached their limit, I want to push them more and they must never be satisfied with the current level," he added.

"We need to bring intensity to practice. We want a group of three or four players wanting this more than anything."