Don't even start with him please. The only thing I like about him is his voice, but the not the words coming out of his mouth. He only commentates on Badminton at the Olympics. Otherwise he was a Tennis Player and I would appreciate it if he would stick to that (overpayed) department.
The same David Mercer who called Olympic Silver Medalist Tennis player Laura Robson fat? Seriously, there must be something wrong if you wouldn't run about like a lunatic after winning Olympic Gold with 21-19 in the 3rd. And the "fiasco" has nothing to do with Lin Dan why bring him into it? He has nothing to do with that, seriously, it would be such an anti climax to go shake hands at the net first, it would be like the 09 WC all over again, boring conclusion.
hehe i was going to say the same thing. David Mercer is a classic "armchair" expert of Badminton. Turns up every 4 years to commentate at the Olympics as if he knows a thing or two about the game. The guy used to be a tennis player and his full time job is commentating on Tennis, which is about as brainless as you can get in terms of sports commentary.
but, as Lento has taught me it's not about the winning. It's all about the olympic spirit of fair play and sportmanship (oh and trying one's best - naughty Yu Yang and Wang Xiao Li ) which means, more important than anything else, you MUST shake hands before you celebrate
Lin Dan had 23 years of hard work to get to that stage, I agree he should have not shown any emotion, waited for 5 minutes at the net for LCW to have compose himself, then shaken hands (no hugging allowed - not Olympic spirit) then after this, should have walked calmly to his bag collected his stuff and then left. It would be wrong for him to celebrate being confirmed the best badminton player of all time. How dare he! It's completely against the Olympic spirit to celebrate.
i can appreciate there are just a lot of very frustated LCW fans right now, which leads to a lot of irrational posts being made. IN all seriousness, it was a truly epic final, and (as LCW puts it) there is only one Lin Dan. The amount of mental resolve LD displayed in order to stay with LCW, I bet Chen Long was thinking no matter how good he gets technically, how on earth he is going to be as mentally strong as LD was in today's final, particularly in the last set. With that virtually faultless and assured performance by LCW, LCW would have simply destroyed any other player on this planet (just like he destroyed Chen Long in the semi)
Oh, and though it hasn't been mentioned here, the final may have been different if the umpire didn't change his mind when he said 9-5. He only changed it once the Chinese team protested, though it was out.
I am a total neutral with regard to LCW & LD both insanely good players but i feel the whole mental strength angle is being over egged, I don't think LCW mental strength is weak at all. LD on his day makes shots like no other, he clips the shuttle down as fast as most players full blown smash. I think his repertoire of shots is greater and to the level in which he can play them all is impeccable. Don't get me wrong LCW i feel for him today and he has some in game qualities that out weigh LD aswell.
Guys, In my opinion, it was often the case, that the smashes from LCW were so well returned from LD, and LCW was always "too late" to get the drop returns from LD, so that LCW wasnt able to return high enough. And you know what happens if LD on the other side of the court. So, in my opinion, it was not because LCW didnt smash enough, but he just "could" not smash, because the risk is too high to get countered. What do you think?
Absolutely brilliant match, proud to have been in the arena at the time. Biggest congratulations to Lin Dan, played brilliantly today. Well done
oh still under impressions of today's drama at last i'm ready to share my emotions actually it's first time when i can't be really happy for LD win Let's say I was about 60-40% for LCW-LD today so still 40% of me wanted LD to grab the title. And probably if LD were hold his advantage after break in R3 (7-11) and promoted the win like 21-15 steadly - then i should just regret for LCW and celebrate for LD. But remembering awesome LCW comeback to 15-13 and then 19-18 (!), one can't remain here calm and sensible. Every one who saw LCW in that prostration just after the last point - but live, not in record! - can't forget this. He still was inside great 1.5 hour battle not understanding why it's finished, why? Starting to watch the world badminton exactly at last Olympics period (as you see my forum joining date August 2008)), I remained a great LD admirer for a lot of time. No doubt - LD just shows us what badminton is. But honestly, after some of his sporting actions, and the most unpleasant for me that was in HK 2010 when he withdrawed a day before I entered the stage to watch him playing, my attitude to him started to change. As a sportsman he is an idol, but as a human.. wouldn't call him a nice person, i don't know why. On that ground, I became LCW fan little by little, and primarily namely by his person. He just illumines smth positive. Looking at his career for last years, hard to imagine how much was in this OL gold for this guy. 4 years the first rating in the world but.. Recently the chess world title competition was played in Moscow and the challenger Boris Gelfand was very close to beat the world champion Anand just by making any simple move in final game. But he made fatal mistake that any chess player can't explain and lost the match. I think how many times LCW will recollect that 19-18.. only 2 steps out of a dream Regarding the match itself, it's exactly what I want long time to see with LD. A pity there are so few opportunities to this. Namely - a match where LD is under troubles that drawed all his hidden forces out! For that you need 2 conditions: 1) someone who can outplay LD 2) title need to be too important for LD to lose If one of these two doesn't work, we see or LD leading a game and playing easily, or LD losing the game because it's boring for him. THIS match has contained both conditions! It was a drama in R1 to see dumbfounded LD playing not so bad but steadly losing point after point. He probably grasped suddenly that one more set lost and bye bye, he finishes his career as a second and loses to his great rival ever. And then he started to play another badminton in second (and after in third)! Agressive devil, it costs enough to see. And here LCW probably made his great ever strategic mistake. Somewhere at the middle of R2 LD earned several good points and LCW decided to let him go through. In regular competitions it usually works. But here this desicion just gave LD back his confidence, because after R1 he was totally confused - what's going on - I am sure every point LCW were try to battle in R2 were put more tension on LD forcing errors. But winning R2 LD mentally became free. LCW tried to get more points at the beginning of R3 but it just was too late. The strategy was gone. R3 was a bit of lottery. Actually when it's about 19-19 anyone can take not depending on the force. The agression of LD was better way to win, he even got to overpersuade the judge with lineball on 8-6 what happens pretty rarely . But I don't know why for the first time looking at celebrating LD, with his defiant, as someone said here - gangster face - i'm not really joining his success despite it was excellent play of both and surely LD was just better today. But may be a fate too cruel for LCW.. He played his best.. may be.. try in 2016.. when no LD's shadow around...
Lin Dan does it again...crazy, really, how he can just up the level again and again. Well done, definitely the best singles player in badminton history!
The shuttle was out though, so what's the big deal? There was another shuttle in the match that was given the wrong call against LD and wasn't overruled.
Because LD is a bad , arrogant , badlooking and selfish guy, that's why did not shake hands first. I hoope you would not do that.
I have to say though, LCW still has the sexiest looking cross court smash in the game - he was really hurting LD with those cc smashes - you know, the ones where LCW is jumping back towards the base line i mean, his technique is just immaculate his strokes on the whole, aesthetically superior to LD.
LD should have shaved for the final. By not shaving he showed disrespect to the spirit of the Olympics games. How arrogant of the Chinese team!
Sigh. Did you not watch it? The umpire actually called "9-5" then, after the protesting, changed his mind. So many Lin Dan fanboys on here. Do your feelings always get hurt when people say a single bad word? Very sad.
