Nope lol And I heard ZN had a big miss with his serve. I happened to miss that, unfortunately. Got this feeling that ZN has been getting too used to lower level of competition, getting dragged down by his partner. He seems to be forgetting how it is to play in highest level. Not good... but I can't think of any way out.
Scrap the partnership post Tokyo. Give him best possible partner and make best use of ZN as he's in his maybe last years of his career. CBA is to blame.
He should partner Chen Qingchen after the Olympics. Forget about MD. But I think retirement is most likely post Olympics
As for now Ou/Zhang is ranked 22nd in World Ranking and 20th in Race to Tokyo, 4th in China. With a number of tournaments, their chance to qualify to Tokyo is closing to zero (even without the tournaments cancelled I thought it was almost non existent) They need to at least earn averagely 6000 points a tournament in average to possibly boost their rank to top 8. Which means at least QF in 750 above or SF in 500 And that's if both Han/Zhou and Huang/Liu are stuck in their current position.
ZN.. missing him. With the extension of the Olympics Qualification next year, he and Ou might have still have a chance if they (Ou) can miraculously up his game significantly and the others pair (except Li/Liu) were as stagnant as last year. Very slim, but at least not impossible..
I see Zhang/Ou weren't registered for the competition in Thailand and I haven't seen any pictures of Zhang Nan from the photos of the Chinese team practices recently either, is he approaching retirement?
As I've reported on the Chinese badminton thread, China has withdrawn from all the three tournaments in Thailand due to Covid-19 fears, playing it safe.
Yes I'm aware, but Zhang/Ou weren't in the M&Q report either so they wouldn't be playing anyway had the Chinese team chosen to participate in the Thailand tour
What makes you say that, heard anything online? Not that I know of though I won't rule that out, esp if the Tokyo OG is canceled this year (no more postponement).
https://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2022-08-20/doc-imizmscv7023996.shtml 张楠退出羽毛球国家队以职业球员身份继续参加比赛 Zhang Nan retired from the national badminton team to continue to compete as a professional player (the headline says it all - Justin) Olympic badminton champion Zhang Nan announced on his Weibo account on August 20 that he is retiring from the national team and turning professional. Zhang Nan wrote on his Weibo account: Today is a special day for me! On August 20, 2016, I won a gold medal in men's doubles at the Rio Olympics after winning the gold medal in mixed doubles at the London Olympic Games in 2012. My dream has come true. On August 20, 2022, I will officially start a new chapter in my career and life. Considering my age, fitness and the need to develop more young players in the national team, I think it is the right time for me to step away from the national team and give more resources to the young players. Because of this, I have formally applied to the Chinese Badminton Association to withdraw from the national team. Here, I sincerely thank the national team for cultivating me in the past 16 years. No matter how life goes on, this experience with the national team will be the best memory and treasure of my life. Because of love, can't give up! Despite leaving the national team, I will continue my badminton career in a new way. After consultations with the Chinese Badminton team, President Zhang Jun and other leaders of the Chinese Badminton Association, the Chinese Badminton Association has agreed that I will continue to participate in international competitions as a(n independent) professional player. In the future, I will arrange training, competitions and all related badminton activities by myself. Whenever I want to enter any international competition, the Chinese Badminton Association will also assist me in signing up for the event. I would like to thank the Chinese Badminton Association for supporting me in my search for a new badminton path. With new choices will inevitably come new challenges, and I will face them without fear. Herein, I hope everyone can support me as always. Zhang Nan hereby thanks everyone! In the future, if the national team still needs me, no matter what kind of role, I can come back at any time, no matter when and where. I will always be proud of being a member of the national badminton team of China, and I will always be ready to contribute my strength to the team! I hope you will continue to support the Chinese Badminton Team, and Zhang Nan in the future! Next game, we'll be there or be square! 张楠_神之子Seven 人生若只如初见 今天对我来说是个特殊的日子! 2016年8月20日,在夺得伦敦奥运会的混双金牌后,在里约我又夺得了一枚奥运会男双金牌;梦想实现,2022年8月20日,我将正式开启自己职业生涯和人生的新篇章。 考虑到自身年龄、身体状态等因素,以及国家队目前需要培养更多年轻队员的需求,我认为现在是 详细