VA did give him a hell of a fight but still the best from VA was not good enough to beat this living legend. Need to admit LD will be in a better shape before Rio
Don't worry. He said it was a great feeling winning the JPN Open again after a lapse of 9 years (since 2006). At the post-match conference, he also expressed that at his current age (32) he's good for a few more years and hope to continue doing the nation proud.That, to me, implies he won't be retiring anytime soon after Rio'16. I must say, at the JPN Open, Lin Dan gave me a huge surprise - in R1 he struggled to scrape through beating Son Wan Ho,next he inflicted another defeat on his archrival , Lee CW, for the umpteenth time, followed by stopping his younger colleague, Tian HW, who is eyeing his OG spot, then went on to avenge his defeats on Tommy Sugiarto in the semis and Viktor Axelsen in the final for a well-deserved, stunning victory. That he could do so in such a short time after his recent lackluster form marked by a series of unprecedented early exits (twice in R1) in tournaments culminating in the WC flop - the nadir of his entire career so far - is stupendous, almost miraculous, especially heartening to see for a fan like me. I'd have thought he required at least couple of months to get his act together and set things right - to recover his drop in fitness and regain his considerably diminished motivation - the more so after having hit a slump should take much more than a few weeks minimum. But astonishingly he proved everybody, not just his detractors, wrong. How glad I am.
To add, the best part is if he continues to work on his fitness, his skills not in question at all, he can only get better, not necessarily to his awesome best a la Super Dan at Beijing 2008, anywhere near will do, even 90% is more than enough. The Living Legend continues to soar.
Don’t forget he has to also overcome other negative elements on the court such as the double service fault as well as the umpire’s yellow card for his alleged misconduct, even though Axelson’s intentional smacking of the net twice in the 2nd game and the tossing of his racket in the air was deemed as not punishable. Other negative elements off the court would include the non-Sinocentric commentary by Gill Clark where she always seem to have less nice things to say about Lin Dan than Lee Chong Wei or Jorgensen for example. It somehow gives the listening audience a sense that one shouldn’t like to see another Chinese victory, so let’s shine more light on the other opponent instead - make them more human and appealing than the Chinese. In her universe; excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better so long as one does not cross the line and dominate the sport like the Chinese do; particularly when 1.3b Chinese are monolithic.
Some incredible videos of LD in the recent Japan Open. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0MmeNG3zIM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sll4UiDbM7k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Vc7miI700 plus more on the same channel. Great videos to learn from for anyone playing the game, regardless of your level.
Very well said...Another one thing that annoys me to hell...is her always mentioning ''considered Greatest Ever by many,but not in my opinion"...ok,if he is not in your opinion,then no need to mention it everytime everymatch...I would prefer to watch Lin Dan's match without any commentary...
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For me, most of the suspense, drama, and stirring moments occurred in the decider of the Lin Dan - Viktor Axelsen final showdown. After a disastrous start which led to Lin Dan being 3-11 down at the mid-game interval, my heart sank and thought it's game over for him, surely no-one could come back from such a hefty deficit of 8 points against a Viktor Axelsen who's playing the spectacular way he did in that match, not even a Chen Long or Lee CW I supposed, much less a Lin Dan whose current physical condition and form have hit rock bottom coming into the tournament. Well, I shan't be presumptuous to elaborate any further what transpired as witnessed by all who watched it in the gymnasium, on TV and in the Internet. Suffice to say I am elated to have finally seen glimpses reminiscent of the Lin Dan I knew, Super Dan ! Way to go !
Thanks a lot, it's like watching the match from the VIP box or the coach's chair. In fact, I've watched all the Lin Dan's JO matches that are available on youtube but just couldn't find the one he played in R1 with Son Wan Ho, doubt there is; if only somebody has a private recording.
Much appreciate it,watching them is like reliving those tense moments and recapturing those thrilling scenes, breathtaking, awe-inspiring.
Needs getting used to, esp watching it from only one side. But great as a complement to the usual bird's-eye view.
True, but you see things you just wouldn't see in a bird's-eye view. This rally at 17-17 looks so much more incredible in this angle. https://youtu.be/KsFJGM_URok?t=1360
To learn from Lin Dan by watching his videos require understandinging his thought processes, his reading of the opponent's game and his anticipation ability - never an easy thing to do; otherwise LCW would have figured him out by now.
Good point. Especially, the second service fault in the 3rd set at 10-12 would probably rattle a lesser player. Kudos and testimony to Lin Dan's greatness for composing himself and getting it over with to eventually emerge victorious, considering he was under tremendous pressure clawing back from 3-11 down.
