More excuses…when will the apologists ever tire of them. Yamaguchi played just as many matches as eMo and her play style would arguably leave her even more fatigued than him. And yet she went out to battle - against the odds vs the Olympic champion - when her team needed her, and brought back the win. That’s the fighting mentality eMo seems to have lost, sad to say. All that potential, wasted…
@Desireless I am sorry, but this has got to be one of the biggest bs posts in this thread. KM was fighting like crazy against LZJ in the SF and I'm sure he tried as hard as he could in the final as well. The fighting spirit for sure is not the issue here. But I am sure you yourself have maintained a world dominating badminton form after a car accident in which a person got killed and after going through major surgery. So for sure you know what you're talking about.
Talking about the rest time between the semifinals and the final for the two opposing teams, I'm sure the tournament organizer is qualified, experienced and professional enough to ensure there is sufficient time for all the athletes concerned. The key point is sufficient time, the required amount of time as spelled out in the tournament rulebook such that no player or team is disadvantaged.
It was a great tournament to watch live at the arena. I don't think more rest would have helped Momota tonight, somehow his game is so 'small'. His attack is weak smashes too far from lines that opponents turn into counter attack, he loses the net consistently despite having the best net game and he looks like a man who just does not believe in himself. Also he has no ability to increase the tempo anymore. Worrying signs, I'm not sure if he will return to 2019 level ever again. Maybe the recovery period just takes years like it did for Shi Yu (I don't believe Shi Yu Qi is at the level he was in 2018 either).
I think Lee Zii Jia’s attack game is different from other men’s singles players and this is causing Momota some problems. Previously, Momota was able to read his opponents’ play very well. Since the Olympics, Momota maybe can’t anticipate his opponents shots so well. That’s taken the edge off his game. He looks more normal now.
Disappointed that Momota let a 11-4 lead in the 1st game against LZJ in the semis slip away. And that despite SQY's obvious failing physical condition, he failed to extend rallies and seems utterly incapable of handling the all-or-nothing smashs from him at the tail end of the 3rd game in the finals. Were his lifts short, due to accumulated fatigue? Guess we will never know. As a fan of his, I also yearn to see him regain the form of 2019.. but a small voice inside me is saying that that might be days of yore.
I think LZJ is totally overrated as a player, that is why he has won absolute zilch (and I mean: nothing, hasn't even made finals) at the age of 23, except for one tournament during a pandemic. People were touting him as the big favourite for the Olympics but his "different attacking game" didn't even get him to the quarter final, despite being in the form of his life. His wins against Momota were both very close, both after Momota led and were also topped off with a considerable amount of luck. Even Momota's biggest detractors say that he is playing far worse than previously at the moment (at the moment meaning 2021, post comeback), so what are we (or you) even talking about? What we are seeing - in my opinion - is someone trying to get back to form after surgery and an incredibly long time away from competition, with all the ups and downs that such a process entails. Maybe he'll never be as good as before. That is clearly a possibility. SYQ also isn't as good as he was prior to his injury. However, Momota's games against LZJ and CTC were already considerably better than his other showings in 2021, so I think there already is a lot improvement in the third tournament he played after 1 1/2 years (!) without competition. I could be wrong, of course. If you read the comments under this video: a lot of people seem to detect a significant improvement over the Olympics as well. I'm genuinely curious: how do you explain him beating LZJ comfortably a few days ago (you know, the one with THE attack game), if he "can't anticipate his opponents shots so well"? In other words, why don't you see the sum of KM's performances as the usual post comeback ups and downs that virtually all athletes (except for Marin ) go through?
I think that you need to take his accident into account. Most people only see the injuries and the recovery of them, but eventually with only a few random events during his accident, he could be as dead as the driver. I believe that this experience will change the point of view of his own life and his point of view of being the top player of the world. Other athletes like TTY already mentioned, that they want to experience other things in their young lifes besides being occupied by badminton 7 days all day around. Maybe he just readjusted his priorities and will fall down into top 10 rank only. Honestly, people cheers when a top 10 players reached world #1 for two weeks, but on the other hand are disappointed when Momota falls down to rank 2. Grant these young athletes some time to life, there is no need to be #1 non-stop.
Can't believe beating Viktor Axelsen in the form of his life to winning AE2021 is called 'winning absolutely zilch'. For the record, he also brought Viktor Axelsen to third set in AE2020 and only losing in the final moments due to a very close call which would have gone either way, not to mention beating Jonathan Christie and Chen Long in the journey. He was starting to display that on his day he could beat anyone until COVID hits, then he had a terrible display in January before regaining some of his form in AE. He is an unfinished article with lack of experience and weak mentality but he is no doubt a quality player in the making. If he was as useless as you claimed, Momota would not have shown that much emotion beating him in the group stage, and I think there's no need to debate on whether Momota knows badminton more than all of us combined.
I don't think the emotion Momota has shown was for beating him lol. LZJ is a total nobody compared to other players Momota faced. Momota showed this emotion because of what he went through. But both you and I are not Momota so we won't know for sure.
Lol, Momota just show up to his team that he's back. Lee Zii Jia is so important that Momota has to show his feeling, Lol Even when he won at world champion, he didn't show his feeling much What do Lee Zii Jia have ??? 1 All England, at the pandemic, without Indonesia and China take place, rest more than Viktor Axelsen at semi-final Oh oh, SO MUCH from Lee Zii Jia. Can we top ? this is Momota's topic
He clearly did so because beating LZJ was his milestone to regaining his form. If simply winning against a 'nobody' as you claimed could give him that much emotion, he would have done it after beating Johnnie Torjussen, now that's a clear 'nobody'.
Don't be mad at me because you can't read. Let me quote myself to help you out: I really don't want to talk about LZJ (here or anywhere, tbh) and that he's overrated is just my personal opinion based on the gulf between his astonishingly bad career record (except for one tournament) and the praise he gets. That he has improved, can play at high levels in certain games (and certain halls, AE is by far his best station, isn't it) is also true. KM celebrating rather exuberantly (after congratulating LZJ, by the way) has imo very little (not nothing, though) to do with the fact the he beat the THE MIGHTY LZJ, but with joking around with team mates at a team competition. KM has beaten much better opponents than LZJ in much more important matches and celebrated very little. He did extend celebrations - again clearly directed at his team mates - after the CTC match as well.
See the answer above mine. I can't put it in better words. Come back with these claims when LZJ starts to walk in the shadow of the GREAT LCW! Oh btw Momota didn't celebrate that much after beating LCW. Even after beating CL after coming from a long suspension.
So help me to understand you since you said I can't read: You said LZJ won nothing but also agreed to him winning AE open and generally perform well there when he attends. (He has also won Chinese Taipei Open 2018 beating CTC on his home soil btw) You said Momota celebrating had little to do with LZJ while can't deny it had something to do with beating LZJ after I mentioned that he did not celebrate as much after the Jonnie match. You see the problem with your argument where you want to stand on the both sides of it? It's like you want to have a cake and eat it but I am not surprised given that you have came up with that username. The worst of it all, you said you didn't want to talk about LZJ but you concocted a wall of text replying to someone who merely commented that LZJ had some unconventional attacking style. All the while pretending that I opined LZJ is the 'best player on earth' while that is far from the truth.
@Cunning Linguist Seems our friend didn't realise that you were simply giving credits where credit is due and not giving credits where it is not due. Hopeless case? @justforfun I repeat Momota didn't celebrate like that after beating LCW, LD, CL, after winning WC or after breaking records of most tournament victories in 1 year. Are you suggesting that beating LZJ is a bigger feat than the above? If not then your point is void. If yes, well then I can only be happy for you as you have someone you view that high (meaning you view LZJ as high as you would view LCW or LD). However, sorry to say that a lot of people don't share that view.
Somehow in this thread: Olympic Champion Viktor Axelsen = Not good at all All England Champion Lee Zii Jia (beat Momota/Axelsen btw) = Absolutely nothing
how is malay's national anthem? when will the king Lee Zii Jia help us listen to the malay national anthem?
Woah, now someone is putting words in my mouth thinking I said LZJ is bigger than LCW, LD and CL, conveniently ignoring that I just mentioned he is an unfinished article with weak mentality. And still no one could attend to my point of the lack of similar celebrations after beating Jonnie Torjussen if all that he cared about was beating a 'nobody'.
