Badminton All England 2010: Chris Adcock and Gabby White find off-court chemistry

Chris Adcock and Gabby White, Great Britain's young hopefuls for the 2012 Olympics, believe their off-court relationship will hold them in good stead at this week's All England Open, the tournament's 100th edition.

The world No 20 pair, who won countless titles at junior level culminating with world silver in 2007, are one of England's leading mixed doubles pairings but head to Birmingham knowing that no home player has been seeded in any of the five events.

Adcock said: "It is always tough playing against the Asians as they are the force in the sport at the moment.

"But who knows? There have always been Europeans who can compete at the top level and hopefully it can be us."

Training six days a week at Badminton England's HQ in Milton Keynes and then going home as a real-life couple is clearly not a burden for the left and right-handed duo.

And Adcock believes that their courting romance has blossomed to such an extent that their already fast, attacking style means that they can react to different situations in tournaments.

"We are both professional people and when we come to the court we talk about the game and what needs work on," he said. "We try to separate it when we're at home but it can spill over sometimes - in a positive way.

"It shows that we understand each other as a partnership and how we can react in different situations. People say it is a negative but we see it the other way. We can understand each other a lot more in pressure situations."

White, 20, said: "When there is an Olympics around the corner you are always more determined and motivated. And the All England is my favourite tournament and is such a good event to play at."

Gabby White
The Leeds-born player has won a mixed doubles silver at the world junior championships two years ago. She claimed two bronze medals at the 2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival hasn't looked back. Won her first national cap at the age of 12.

Chris Adcock
Bright prospect in both men's (partnering Robert Blair) and mixed categories. Won 12 National titles as a junior, becoming England's most successful junior player. Double Gold medallist at both 8 and 6 nations in the U15 and U17 groups. Perhaps the best bet for 2012 is the pairing of Blair, who has been competing for England since 2001.

The 100th All England Open Championships take place at the NIA, Birmingham from March 9-14.

Source from Telegraph.co.uk