Chen Long nearly broke my heart, the way he played G2, sticking to the same game plan as in G1 when Chou Tien Chen had already changed tack, anticipating his opponent's net play and pouncing on it, which forced CL to lift the shuttle more predictably allowing CTC again to read it and attack as opportunities arose, leaving CL at sixes and sevens, completely dominating the set to force the decider. Luckily, CL kind of figured out what to do to counter it in G3, with help from the coach, I supposed, and was able to restore the balance in his favor to eventually come out on top in convincing fashion. Seriously, CL got to mix up his shots more as he has a tendency to be too predictable, simple and straightforward in his shot-making, a wider variation is needed to keep the opponent guessing. I believe Li Mao must have instilled this into his mind, just that old habits die hard, esp for someone his age.
The old dragon made it to the finals.. unbelievable. I hope he can equal Lin Dan and thus step out of his shadow for good. He deserves it.
This cunning old fox is still cookin. Only 32yo compared to the other legends. I bet he will try 2024 if he wins this 2020 og.
A wild swsh appears to highlight his 2019 post of support and belief in CL. Whatcha say @Nine Tailed Fox , any predictions for the calm, collected and cool customer? TBF, it's so sad following his journey since everyone just doesn't believe in him.
The old dragon has completed his Olympic gold silver bronze medal set. I now rank him ahead of LCW as the second best player of all time.
Chen Long finally showed some good attacking play in G2 just now, where was it all these years? I think he would have fared better in tournaments with that. Silver at 32 is very impressive already though no doubt, he can be proud.
Congrats CL on silver, he did very well at 32 beating 10 year younger players. True gentleman, hope we can see him for a few more years.
Chen Long really had nothing to prove anymore. That he managed to get a silver now made me happy, and he played very fun in his QF and Semi match. Just fun as a player to watch when he's on his game like this.
https://2020.sina.com.cn/2021-08-02/doc-ikqciyzk9134179.shtml Thanks to @ant01 for first posting this piece of news in the relevant tournament thread which, allow me, to re-post it here: CL was injured since group stage, according to one source... ============================= The link I posted above said virtually the same thing as the related instagram post as follows: Defending champion Chen Long lost 0-2 to Danish world champion Axelsen in the men's singles final of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on August 2. The "double dragon fight" attracted the international Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach and the world badminton Federation president Larsen, who arrived to support. However, the 32-year-old Chen seemed a little helpless in the face of the Danish's fierce attack. From the understanding of the author, it turns out that this silver medal also has an unknown story behind it -- "this is a top secret information before the competition. During the group matches, he already had a small blister, it grew a bit with each match played, finally became a blood blister ", "with the foot that bad, can't run well". Despite not winning back-to-back Olympic titles, 32-year-old Chen long deserves respect for his persistence as well as his silver medal. (Little shrimp - the author)
Playing in the games with a terrible blister is never easy. Mad respect to him for playing all the way until the final.
https://2020.sina.com.cn/2021-08-03/doc-ikqciyzk9184243.shtml - I posted this article just in case some people wondered why CBA didn't talk about it. - Justin Zhang Jun: Chen Long foot bubble influence play, he never gave up Tokyo, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- 9Ding Wenxian, Ji Ye and Lu Rui ) Zhang Jun, president of the Chinese Badminton Association and head coach of the Chinese doubles team, said on Tuesday that Chen Long had a big blood blister under his feet, which affected his performance in the men's singles final at the Tokyo Olympics. Defending champion Chen Long lost 0-2 to fourth seed Axelsen of Denmark to finish second in men's singles on 2nd August. Zhang Jun said he was touched by Chen Long. "A veteran in his 30s, he's got a big blood blister under his foot and it's affecting his movement on the court. But he didn't give up. He went all out and fought point by point. In particular, his forehand backcourt shots today, which he would normally be able to reach if he weren't affected by the blood blister under his feet, really affected his defensive ability."
I did not have the chance to watch the Men's singles final yet. I was rooting for Chen Long's victory over Axelsen and maybe retire. I watched Axelsen's match with Cordon and I thought it would be very difficult - Axelsen was poised and very calm, I think he was in full control even though the score may not reflect it. Was then still hoping that Chen Long could win but really very doubtful after Axelsen's performance. Congratulations for the Silver Medal. Excellent job.
