Bettering the silver medal he won at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi would represent a 'stunning achievement' for Rajiv Ouseph.

So says his dad, Joe Ouseph, who took his son down to Hounslow Badminton Centre as a youngster to learn the game.

Ouseph, from Hounslow, lost to Malaysian Lee Chong Wei in the 2010 final, but received a boost this week when the defending champion was ruled out of Glasgow 2014 with a thigh injury.

However, despite the absence if his son's nemesis, who has beaten him in their last five meetings, Ouesph senior still believes just getting a medal would be a success for Rajiv.

Career highlight: Ouseph (left) poses with his silver medal with gold medallist Lee Wei Chong (centre) and bronze medallist Parupalli Kashyap (right) in 2010

He said: “Rajiv has had his ups and since 2010, and in February he won England's first silver medal at the European Championships since 1991, and he is still number one in England.

“However, he had a disappointing Olympics, losing his second game very narrowly, and has not won any grand slams.

“He is trying hard, but 2010 was his career high, and although he is hopeful of a medal, he may not better that performance.

“It was a wonderful achievement he got a lot of recognition for, and beating it would be a stunning achievement.”

No home comforts: Ouseph had a disappointing London 2012, losing to Guatemala's Kevin Cordon

Wei's absence means world number 27 Ouseph goes into the Games as the third highest ranked men’s singles player behind Wei's fellow Malaysian, Chong Wei Feng, and Kashyap Parupalli of India.

Ouseph beat Parupalli in the semi-finals four years ago but trails him 2-1 in head to heads on the tournament circuit, and has met Feng just once, losing to him in last year’s World Championships.

However, Scotland has been a happy hunting ground for Ouseph in the past, having twice won the Scottish Open title in Glasgow.

Ouseph senior added: “Rajiv should be seeded, which means he would miss the best players in the early rounds, but Kashyap will be a major threat.

“There are thankfully no Chinese players in the Commonwealth Games, but there are a lot of good Malaysian and Indian players, no it is still very competitive.”

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