MEN'S singles Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin aims to close the gap on World No 8 Lee Zii Jia as he wants to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
And he hopes to keep progressing from his recent impressive showing at the BA of Malaysia (BAM) internal ranking event, which earned him spots in this year's Sudirman Cup and Thomas Cup squads.
Aidil and Ng Tze Yong, both 21, are the youngest male shuttlers in both squads bound for Europe later this month.
They were not only consistent throughout the one-week tournament but also notched impressive wins over national No 2 Cheam June Wei and former Asian junior champion Leong Jun Hao in the process.
"I am happy and proud of myself for making both teams because of my solid performances throughout the internal ranking meet last week.
"I realised that I need to be brave and aggressive, and I must take risks to be a better player.
"I have to continue working hard to realise my dream of becoming a top men's singles player in the future," said Aidil, whose first senior breakthrough came when he was selected for the 2019 Philippines Sea Games squad.
In the internal ranking event, world No 122 Aidil finished second in the six-man field with four wins and two defeats, while Tze Yong took the top spot with a perfect finish.
The Selangor-born admitted that the gap between him and Zii Jia is still big.
"If I continue to impress, then I will get my chances as I did with the Sudirman and Thomas Cup squads.
"And I can only continue to get better with an improved ranking and tournament exposure.
"The more I mature as a player, the better my chances are to compete at the highest stage," added Aidil.
For the Sudirman Cup in Vantaa, Finland on Sep 26-Oct 3, Malaysia are in Group D with Japan, England and Egypt.
Malaysia are in Group D with former champions Japan, England and Canada in the Thomas Cup in Aarhus, Denmark on Oct 9-17.