Thought I’d post this link to remind what a fit KM could do, the Tokyo Olympic version was a pale shadow of him.
Comparing the two versions of KM, 1st is a well oiled machine on top of his game, 2nd is rusty, movement, reading of of his opponent, controlling rallies and opponent with strategy was absent, in a word not match fit, hope he gets his mojo back soon.
There's no doubt that there's a lot of work in front of Momota to get back to where he was. I'm more interested to see will there be any change to his game. Can we see his superman smash from the past? lol If he can only regain his match fitness from playing tournaments then he's gonna have a hard time in these pandemic stricken times.
Dear @kurako , thank you so much for taking the time and sharing this with us! I also hope that once the pandemic is over and the regular tournament circuit restarts, Kento will be able to rebuild. I do believe that the amount of talent he possesses exceeds that of other current players in the circuit. I believe his performances while at his peak prove this. And yes, I agree, provided he has the motivation, he should be back to his old form. It is also up to his coaches to help him to regain his motivation, if that should be lacking. I also wonder what Kento must think about Axelsen's gold medal, given their head-to-head record ... Given the overall level of play at the Olympic tournament, one could say that Axelsen was the "one-eyed among the blind" (it's a direct translation of a German idiom - but I think it should be clear what it's supposed to say ... ) But then again, this may be a bit too harsh. I'm just not a big fan Victor.
Probably not much. Can't change anything. Just move forward to the next tournament whenever that will be.
sorry bit out of topic, just wondering.. what racket will kento and yonex collab release?? anyone had any idea?
I too think such a talented player as Momota won't just go away after one debacle and I believe he will bounce back. How soon ? Not sure, it's all up to him, for nobody can help him except himself. Remember, he was beset with one big career setback before, albeit unrelated to badminton, that cost him a one year ban and came back stronger rising to the top. The Olympics is a one of a kind tournament, unlike any others, it has a proven record of producing surprising outcomes, shocks, even freak results. Besides, past performance is no guarantee of future results (though it's reasonable to assume), every new match played can produce a different outcome, esp when the psychological factor inevitably comes into play in a pressure-cooker situation for the most sought-after and most-coveted prize with so much at stake not only for the athletes concerned but also those others directly and indirectly involved. Think Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and a few others in similar plight. So, I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say, in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king, to describe Viktor Axelsen's gold medal triumph after Momota was bundled out unceremoniously by the unfancied Heo Kwang Hee in the group stage. Furthermore, objectively speaking, Heo KH acquitted himself well against the unexpectedly off-form Momota whilst the other giant-killer Kevin Cordon's amazing run only came to end at the hands of the eventual champion Axelsen in the semifinals by putting up a decent fight, not to mention that opponents like Anthony Ginting, for example, could be tricky even for Momota too (if their previous encounters are any indication). What's more, based on Viktor's form , it's hard to deny he played one of his best badminton in his career at just the right time and the right place - it's like the stars were aligned for him to take gold. Yeah, it's harsh to pass that kind of remark about his achievement, even mean and disrespectful to him and all the other Olympians, Momota included. Anyway, it's early days yet to say the last word about their respective career accomplishments for the likes of Momota, Axelsen and their main rivals and peers, except perhaps for those who are already in their twilight years, such as the 32-year-old Chen Long and the 31-year-old Chou Tien Chen. Last but not least, I feel we shouldn't be overly focused on the Olympics alone as far as the professional athlete's career is concerned, however much the weight of the Olympic gold is worth due, no doubt, in large part to its rarity and the accompanying rewards than anything; even if it takes pride of place in their C.V., the overall picture has to be taken into account as well to give us a better, fairer and clearer assessment of the athlete in the pantheon of badminton greats.
My concern is that every tournaments are being cancelled one by one by one by one. So this is not good news for Momota. What he needs more than anything is a series of tournaments to work on his well everything from confidence to fitness to technique to strategy which in themselves have smaller branches such as speed, power, stamina, mental fortitude, shot quality etc etc I wonder when Badminton will finally let them play at least huis clos.
I hope a match fit Momota will be able to win gold in Paris at age 29. As long as below 30, chance is there for singles.
Sadly, it's only very limited number tournament available to take part particularly the low-tier tours during this pandemic era. His name has been registered in French Open and might be included too in the upgraded Hylo Badminton Open entry list as well?
I think that the NBA is treating the Belgian International and the Hylo Open as a pair, and is planning to send a combination of the upper part of Team B and lower part of Team A. I do not believe that Momota will be joining the delegation. He is, in any event, going to be exhausted after the run of tournaments, which include the Sudirman Cup, Thomas Cup, Denmark Open, and French Open. ... I sincerely hope that he manages to find his rhythm somewhere along the road; it is going to be challenging, though.
The captain and vice-captain of the six-week long European Tour are Momota and Takahashi Sayaka, respectively. Park Joo Bong's rationale for the selection is: Momota: His results at the Olympics were not particularly good, and I felt that he needed a change. Being captain will give him some responsibility to bear, and will act as a distraction from his Olympic loss. Takahashi S.: She is the oldest player on tour, and has experience of participating in the Uber Cup last time around. In light of current injuries and retirements, PJB does not expect the particularly stellar results vis-a-vis the upcoming tournaments. Instead, he sees this as a chance for a fresh start. Revenge for Olympic losses will come next year. PJB will keep a keen eye on the 'new' MDs, as well as Shida/Matsuyama. Whilst he believes that the WD category could have been strong enough if Fukushima were to pair with either Nagahara or Matsumoto, PJB wants to see how the 3rd ranked WD pair performs. With regard to Momota's condition: PJB states that, as he took some time off after the Olympics, he is not in top shape. PJB will be looking to see if Momota can avenge his AE loss to Lee Zii Jia, either at the Sudirman or Thomas Cup.
"Took time off after the Olympics, he is not in top shape"... Does that mean we may be looking at an even worse version of KM for the upcoming tournaments? Crumbling under pressure is one thing, but not being in a physically very good shape won't be enough to challenge the top players from Denmark, Indonesia or China.
If Momota lose against to LZJ again. Then Malaysia posts will on Everest until Paris 2024. After All England 2021, they always mention to Momota's defeat in LZJ's news.
