English pair look for improvement

by Matt Majendie
BBC Sport in Melbourne

Robertson and Emms were straight-sets winners in the final

Nathan Robertson said he and mixed doubles partner Gail Emms need to raise their game to win Olympic gold in 2008.

The world number ones won Commonwealth gold on Sunday to add to the silver they won at the Olympics in 2004.

And Robertson said: "We can get better and we clearly have to if we're going to beat the best in Beijing.

"There are some areas we know we have to improve but, since our first Commonwealth Games together in 2002, we feel we've upped our game each year."

Robertson and Emms bowed out of the badminton mixed doubles four years ago at the quarter-final stage.

But since then they have enjoyed an upturn in fortunes, capped by their Commonwealth victory over New Zealand duo Daniel Shirley and Sara Runesten Petersen, and also their recent China Open success.

Robertson added: "The good thing heading into Beijing is that we've won on Chinese soil before so that ought to help us.

"The crowds there are very tough but we know what it takes to win in front of them."

Emms described Beijing as the "hardest place in the world to play badminton".

She added: "It's very difficult for English and European players to come out on top there but I'm dying to get back there and win again.

"The Chinese players always seem to come over here and win our tournaments, so it would be even sweeter to win the ultimate - Olympic gold - on their soil."