I think that at this moment, LD is more worried about LCW than TH. Now we all know that while TH is a very good player, he hasn't been great this year. If he is consistently good, he can easily be at the top 7 of the world. But it would take something really exceptional for him to get to top 3.
as you know it is very very tired if you continously play in 3-4 tournament, it is better to skip to low star tournament.... and preparing for Big Tournament. Although they all have good condition & well trained. But take some rest is always wise & clever for Big Event. " just my opinion"
I believe TH is on the decline and is unlikely to come back to the top. The reason is that he has reached the very top where no man has ever reached or likely to reach-Olympics Gold and World Champion, one after another consecutively. It is a matter of the mind-he has nothing to prove anymore and he can never have the motivation he once had before winning the double crown. It is LD and LCW who are greatly motivated, and also very "hungry", for glories, with the 2008 Olympics and the following world championship as their goal. But 2008 is still a long way off. I hope both LD and LCW don't get burned out before then, or be dethroned by some new, young pretenders to the throne.
Between the two of them, they will win a lot of tournaments in the future, and perhaps PG too (but I don't know how long he would be up before calling it a day). These 3 are class acts. At the moment, nobody else comes close. Hafiz would still put in a presence or two but he has problematic knees. BCL, Chen Yu, Lee Hyun II, Simon Santoso may look in now and then but I do not rate them highly.
Somehow, LYB pulling out lots of China PLayers from Thailand Open. Lin Dan, Zhang Ning, Wang Lin, Cai/Fu, Zheng/GuoZD, Gao/Huang and Zheng/Yu from Thailand Open. I wonder why? LD and ZN maybe exhausted cause they play for MVP Cup and Macau Open. Specially LD, who play 8 matches in 10 days or so. But for the others???
I suspect Indonesia have serious issues with their management at PSBI. With the kind of talents they have, the success rate isn't very efficient.
The China players have been competing a lot the past few months with local tournaments in addition to the international circuit. They need some rest probably. Anyway, its also likely to be because they will be going for their training camp very soon. So I guess they want to avoid fatigue or potential injury.
Yes, Indonesia, like TH, is on the decline, which first started after the financial crisis in 1998/1999. But I think the god-like status treatment given to TH does not help the new blood, because young and upcoming players have from day one aspired to be like TH but, and here is the punch, never trying to dethrone him. That is why, Simon, Sony, and the others do not have the "arrogance" or the audacity of trying to topple TH and go one better. Compare these young Indonesians to the young arrogant, cocky, and supremely confident Lin Dan when he was chasing the coattails of Chen Hong. PSBI must demystify the godly TH so that the new blood will want to really beat him, and beat him badly.
Surely Lee Chong Wei needs a rest soon. He's been in great form, but I worry if it'll hold out till the World Champs and the rest of the year. Zhang Ning looks burned out, she defintely needs a rest. Lin Dan looks fine to carry on actually, but maybe [they] don't want to risk any injury. Xie Xing Fang also has not been in the best form, unless she is carrying an injury, I'd like to see her play more and give Zhang Ning a rest. China's third singles contenders look good on paper; Jiang Yan Jiao, Lu Lan, Wang Lin and Zhu Lin, but do anyone of them have it in them to challenge the top? Peter Gade played well at start of the new scoring system, but has been absent for a while. Taufik...is Taufik. He's not at his best because it looks like he is not playing enough, and secondly doesn't seem to have the motivation. In fact he already made his come back for the Olympics and World Championships, he was in a slump prior to that. Might be doubtful for him to play the WC, and even if he does, coupled with the new scoring system, the odds say that he won't win it again this year. I would actually fancy someone like Lee Hyun Il or Chen Jin to be a serious threat , and previously Bao Chun Lai, but as we have seen, he can't escape from Lin Dan's shadow. Maybe this should go in the WC thread
But how can you dethrone him? It's not only because of how the Government and country portrays/idolise him, but also his fellow player's respect for him as a player. Everyone knows Taufik now is a different Taufik, who would feel good beating a man when he is already down. Chen Hong on the other hand was more or less on top of his game when Lin Dan came knocking on his door. But Chen can't be compared to Taufik. I don't think the target of toppling Taufik is ever possible. They don't want another taufik replacement, what they want is a Lin Dan beater, or a world champion contender.
I think after Taufik, there will be others --- just like after Hartono, there was Swie King, etc. But the current crop is not good enough. Malaysia also went without anyone of substance for a while. China is the only country with top players all the time (I dare not name the players in case I miss someone). New Blood does not come along all the time, these days it needs nurturing with national plans, etc. Sport has become a science. The Malaysian team is now assisted by incentive programs, professional coaches, skills experts, sports psychologists, physical trainers, etc. I think Indonesia might be asking the big question soon : "Why are WE Failing?". I remember this question being asked by Malaysians not too long ago. I think LCW and the men's doubles are a result of a comprehensive program to build a good team and it might be working. Project 2010 will bring along new 'stocks' --- I noticed some good young players coming along well under Rashid. This project will definitely put Malaysia on a strong foothold in badminton. As I pointed earlier, Malaysia is now embarking on being world no. 1's in badminton --- just look at the contingent it is sending to the Thai Open. I will be surprised if we don't win big in Thailand.
Indonesia starts to see some light in terms of upcoming young players. Tommy Sugiarto is one of them...he has performed relatively well (given his inexperience) in the past few satellites and grand prix events. We will definitely hear more from him.
Talent is becoming harder to find in China as well. Besides Lin Dan, the other players does not seem very convincing as the next big one. The same problem goes with the women's singles squad as well. It could be the good life in China where more people prefer other careers rather than a lifetime in a "concentration" camp where you could be easily ditched if you're not tip-top.
I was referring to the previous players (Yang, Zhang, the Tang Hu, and all the others) --- they seem to backup with these players forever. Sure, I agree with you, it must be hard for the players to reach there.
