Whoever is better on that day will win
http://www.internationalbadminton.org/ranking.asp
LCW is ranked #1 by BWF today. He was ranked #1 for the past 6 months IIRC, partly because LD missed many tournaments after OG.
LD is ranked #1 by BWF longer than anyone else in the last 5 years. He was not always ranked #1, just longer than others.
And why do you insist 5 years is the only valid duration to judge someone is best? Judging from 6 months BWF ranking, LCW is the best baddy player.
If the thread title is 'LD has the best winning record in the past 2 years.' I think there is not much debate. But what does that statement mean, really, beyond what it says?
It's debatable whether LD was better than everyone else in 2005, despite more medals. Remember not every player wants to win every SS. e.g. TH played seriously only he cared. If you watched how LD lost to TH in 2007 JO, you will probably agree TH was better than LD
at that time.
I don't have a crystal ball to know whether someone will be better than LD 20 years from now, or even 2 years from now.
'Better' or 'best' is relative, and temporary.
When you play a game, the outcome doesn't depend on what's your winning record against him. Case in point: LD can't count on his winning record against LCW when he plays LCW. He can't think 'LCW had lost to me so many times, I am the best and will win easily.' He has to go all out, mentally and physically, and show he is better today, now. Past winning against LCW doesn't count for this match. LD was not better than LCW in Swiss Open, as it turned out.
Don't let history get into your head when you play someone. Live in the present moment, not the past, nor the future.
Whoever is better on that day will win, as simple as that.
I am absolutely clueless of what you're trying to proof here. No one is claiming that LD is unbeatable and for the rest of his life, and not one is compare today's LD vs Today's ZJH.
LD has been sitting on the #1 spot for 5 years, not 1 day. So if that's the time scale you are referring, that's that mean he is simply the best???