I second this. The only regret I have is that he is not known for his discipline and determination. If only he had half of Lin Dan's or Datuk LCW's hunger for success... maybe, just maybe, he could've been regarded as the greatest badminton player ever. Unfortunately, he doesn't. He has the skill, but he doesn't have the will. He got satisfied with his achievements too soon.
I was surprised at the level of determination against Lin Dan. His last Olympic and maybe his last pro game and he played like it was a training match. Oh well ...
agree with Jagdpanther. he has it all in him, the potential, the talent that many badminton fans claimed as the best, and also the 'magic'. too bad, he doesn't work on another departments.
Thank you, Taufik. May God bless you. .. Every person is built differently. They go through different phases and priorities at different times in their lives. That does not take away from their achievement. Often they achieve what they do, despite the odds. We only recognise Taufik's natural brilliance, talent and magic. We do not pause to think about what other issues or demons he may have had to overcome as a young boy who was suddenly thrust into the world's spotlight, with no training to handle it, and no one to really turn to for shelter apart from maybe, Mulyo. How many other experiences and problems and doubts and emotional traumas he, and indeed, other young professional players have to deal with every day, that we should consider ourselves lucky not to go through! All this affects different people in different ways. But it does not take away anything from what they have achieved. I will always be thankful that I have lived in a time when I could watch and marvel at this man, and smile at the magic. And I will always be grateful for that, to him. Thank you, Taufik. May God bless you.
Absolutely, no doubt. At least he is still here and being competitive...time to bid adieu but the trail he's blazed will forever be indelible!
he'll look back at his career and have no regrets when he first burst on to scene people thought he would always be the nearly man, not being able to close out AE finals, and people thought Gade would have the more decorated career. but of course, he would go on to win WC, OG and TWO Asian Games golds!!! (I always forget about those two AG golds) which is a resume legends like Gade and LCW would die for.
Actually I haven't read anything that he has made his retirement official. The reason I say this is because I don't think I'm ready to stop watching Taufik Hidayat. No matter if he was at his absolute best or having a bad day on the court, this is the man that inspired me to pick up the racquet and play badminton. Inspired by his magic, I have and will continue to train hard to emulate his brilliance (even if the chances of it coming off are slim ). He will always be my hero and to see him in action at the Australian Open this year (and get a picture with him) will be something I will always cherish. It will be sad seeing you go, but I thank you for the inspiration and determination you gave me Taufik.
Yesterday, i watched an interview between Taufik Hidayat and INA TV reporter at London. Here is the main point in the discussion : Reporter : How is you performance in this Olympic ? TH : As you have already known, i have been defeated. However, i would like Indonesia supporters not only look at this Olympic for my performance benchmark, please take years of my career and achievements into accounts as well. Reporter : What is your plan for the future? Are there any chances that you will play at the next Olympic games at Rio in 2016 ? TH : Definitely, i will not play at the next Olympic games at Rio in 2016. I know & could rate my performance. It is the time for me to slowly say goodbye to the Badminton World. Of course, i will finish my contract with my sponsor. My next tournament would be China Badminton League. Most likely, i will say goodbye on INA Premier Super Series 2013. I remember the main point correctly, just that i may not interpret every single words TH has said to the reporter yesterday completely. Folks, the chances of us watching TH in action is not that many, we should cherish every moments TH performed on the court. I agree with Renmazuo27. The moment i saw TH in action on the court, no matter he is on a good day or bad day, he is still the idol of ours. His movement is very smooth and effortless, his shot direction is so unpredictable, it is like magic, it is not surprising that he has been nicknamed The Magician. TH has a lot of fans in the Mainland China. Most of the persons i have met in Mainland China, be it Taxi Driver, recreational badminton players, storekeeper, etc , the moment they know that i am Indonesian, they did not mention about Bali Island, Borobudur Temple, etc, they only said that 印尼的陶菲克很厉害, meaning INA's Taufik is GREAT.
He should have retired a long time ago after he beat Lin Dan in the Asian Games 2006. Now it's crystal clear that Lin Dan has better achievements, head2head record and overall performance than Taufik Hidayat.
Why on earth his purpose to play badminton only is to be compare H2H and achievement with Lin Dan only ??? From the time he beat Lin Dan in AG 2006 to present day he could still manage to be champions and runners up in many Grand Prix and Super Series tournament and World Championship. He still consistently ranks in big 10 and even can reach to 2nd. So what if Lin Dan achievement and H2H is better. LD is clearly better and he admitted in many occasion to the press that Lin Dan is the best player in the world. But if he still can produce something in his carrer then why he should to retired already ??? What a silly
I like Taufik style better compared to Lin Dan because it's so natural and doesn't require much effort. It's easier for a normal person to aspire to play like Taufik. It's because he doesn't use much energy in his game and despite this, his shots are so effective in winning points. Lin Dan style requires more hardwork in training to get accuracy in his shots. If you don't practice hard, it could go very wrong if you play like Lin Dan. Only a very few people who are disciplined and dedicated enough will possibly become good using Lin Dan's techniques because it requires many hours of training. That's why even though Lin Dan won more titles than Taufik til today, I still prefer to watch Taufik's matches just because of the ease in which he plays but still very effective in beating most opponents using less energy than Lin Dan does.
Taufik needs to train and fully complete his warm-up routines every time he has to play. He probably needs to be more focussed on his warmup routines than before, because his body takes longer to warm up and become supple enough. Also, he makes his play look effortless; that is the deception he practises on everyone! But that deception comes at the cost of a lot of hard work. It is also the result of his having to compromise and reinvent himself because of a dodgy back and knee problems. All badminton pros have to work very, very hard to remain in top shape and condition. At the pro level, this is probably the most demanding sport of all - just look at the roster of injured players every year! LD is to be marvelled at because he has made sure he does not fall into the injury trap, all these years. Of course, he also has the best support system in the game. And his skills, as you pointed out correctly, are very, very unique. Such fast hands and fast-twitch muscles and coordination are a blessing from above. Just as Taufik's smoothness is...
I remember nothing but notable defeats in the hands of Viktor Axelsen, Marc Zwiebler, Lee Chong Wei and most recently Chong Wei Feng. As it stands, even Marc Zwiebler has won his last two encounters against Taufik Hidayat.
Agree... I played badminton as well during my stay in Beijing, China with badminton recreational players who are natives. When i was asking them about their favorite player, most of them will ask " Do you mean CHN Players or International players ? " . Firstly i was quite surprise since they are dividing between CHN players and International Players. If i am being asked, i will just say my idol without dividing whether he is my Home favorite or International players. Anyway, i asked them to state both. They said that their favorite CHN Players are either LD or BCL, since the moment i asked them around 2008-2010. For International players, their role model is either Taufik or Gade. I also asked them the reasons of why they like LD or BCL, they said that LD and BCL have won a lot of tournaments & they feel really pride of them. The reasons of why they choose TH or Gade is that their style of play are really smooth, the shot direction is really unpredictable and their footwork seems effortless & beautiful. They said, those are something that we as recreational players able to learn and try to do it on court. However LD style requires a lot of hardwork training. They were hesitating to implement it on court. It seems really dangerous, they said. In short, watching TH and PG will make you want to play badminton immediately, however while watching LD, you will think that his speed and power is incredible and can't really imagine how hard his training is. Well, i do not 100% agree with their comments but in the end, those are their comments and really subjective, we just need to appreciate it. Since it is a combination of their emotion and logic. In my opinion, Idol is really subjective. The word best player or most favorite player themselves are really subjective. For some people, best player are the one who is ruling the badminton throne right now, winning the most medals to date. For others, it is their style of play which matter the most. For some group of people, it is their personality and attitude on court, and the list will still goes on and on. Every idols are the best for their fans, no doubt about it. Ever idols have their own weaknesses and strengths. It depends on which angles we look at. They are all human being, normal mankind like us.
Thoose are good player. And why just by some loses then you have right to say that he should retired. Despite some loses he still have much more winning and progres till the last stage of a tournaments than kicked out at early rounds. How about Chen Long, Chen Jin, Kenichi Tago, Peter Gade and others. You want tell them to get retirement too ???
