12 May, 2023
Lisa Curtin and Nadeem Dalvi are set for their first overseas caps as part of a ten-strong England team at the TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup Finals.
The singles stars, who have played together since the age of five, will make landmark appearances at one of the most prestigious events in the sport.
Curtin and Dalvi will represent England abroad for the first time at the 18th edition of the prestigious mixed national team event, staged from 14-21 May in Suzhou, China – supported by Yonex, the official clothing supplier of the England National Team.
Dalvi said: “I’m over the moon to be selected for a tournament of this magnitude. It’s massive for me at this stage in my career and I can’t wait to be out there playing.”
Curtin said: “The arena’s going to be a lot bigger than anything I’ve ever played in and it will be exciting, as well as a little intimidating, to play some of the top players in the world.”
This will be the first time that Curtin has ever played in Asia and her second full England cap after she featured in December’s qualifying stage of the European Mixed Team Championships in Milton Keynes.
Dalvi has embraced his first season on the senior circuit and just returned from back-to-back tournaments in Uganda, Portugal, Cuba and the Netherlands.
“It was my first real tournament block of that kind, I racked up the miles and matches and gained a lot of experience playing against senior players,” he said.
“The main learning was the importance of what happens off the court. Whether it be food, recovery or transport, the finer details all matter and I’d never experienced them before.”
The pair will be joined by Ben Lane, Sean Vendy, Marcus Ellis, Lauren Smith, Chloe Birch, Freya Redfearn, Estelle van Leuuwen and Cholan Kayan in the squad that will take to the court at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre.
They have been drawn in Group D alongside four-time winners South Korea, 2021 runners-up Japan and European rivals France.
England won bronze and France silver at February’s 2023 European Mixed Team Championships, making that one of the closer battles at the tournament.
“There won’t be any easy games from any of those teams,” said Dalvi.
“It will be tough, but we’re confident we can pick up some results across the events.
“I’ve never played against a top 50 player, so I want to take the experience from their strengths that make them hard to play against and learn those lessons.”
Joining the squad in Suzhou is National Singles Coach Julia Quinn, who believes all players are embracing the opportunity to represent their country.
She said: “We are looking forward to attending this year’s Sudirman Cup with this group of players. We have a good mix of youth and experience, with young players who will learn a lot and gain invaluable experience during their first Sudirman Cup, alongside the more experienced players who compete at this level regularly.“It will be such a good opportunity to play against some of the strongest nations and players in the world.”
