Undoubtedly, LD is one of the great player to have played badminton but as a player he is not above the game and is bound by the laws of nature. LD has past his prime and it is high time he bows out in style. Look at LCW he had stated that after Olympics he would retire. LD is consistently losing out to younger players and it all started with K Srikanth beating him in China Open.
Part of it is that the unbeatable myth has gone. Flaws in his game have been found and the right people are exploiting this in matches. He also isn't the MVP of China any more and doesn't walk on court like he owns it.
I wonder if he's simply using these tournaments in a much wider planned build-up for the Olympics? And even though he got demolished by Axelsen last week, he's not completely lost. I mean, he came from nowhere after a break, and leaped to #3 in the world rankings. Making sure he would qualify for the tournaments that will qualify him for the Olympics. He needs something to drive him, otherwise he wouldn't be playing - and I only see the Olympics as that goal. He's been out of the game before, and returned with a purpose (winning the 2013 WC was a good example). Now, I think his playing style is really looking like a slow buildup of form and security, without risking injuries. He's attacking even less that he did at his previous comeback, and he's running matches toward more even scores against lower quality players than what he needs. His game against Raul Must was a good example - I saw it courtside, and he could have finished that one off sooner. But he went for the workout and the 21-15 / 21-18 victory. He hit less than 10 smashes the entire match I think. If this whole "long run Olympics" approach is the reason why we see him play like this now, I think he's in good shape, and could be very dangerous next year. However, if we're just seeing a player that has lost the physical edge and the will to really win, then he should probably consider quitting before he slips out of the top-10. I think it's the first one - why should his form peek now? For what reason? These tournaments are merely qualifiers for the Olympics looking at it from a 5xWC and 2xOC's perspective!
I agree there is no point in peaking now. It's well known in sports you need to build up to the big tournaments and it takes 6 months to build up. It's even harder to maintain the form so for these top athletes, the timing is crucial.
Yeah and I think the situation is similar for LCW, minus the low speed. Others have a different feeling about those 2 now, where they were unreachable before, they're very beatable now. And that makes a huge difference.
[MENTION=86374]Justin L[/MENTION] Can you tell me what is going in the Chinese media regarding Lin Dan? How are they receiving it? What is the social media reaction? Other players? Surely, there must be some reacted commentary?
A video explaining all Lin Dan's tatoo.... [video=youtube;R7lXlnELGw0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7lXlnELGw0&feature=youtu.be[/video]
I suspect whether Lin Dan realizes it or not, he is unconsciously treating badminton as secondary to his other important life goals,taking it as only a tool or stepping stone to achieving his ultimate aim, forming an integral part of his future plan. Just look at the various non-badminton activities that he's been busily engaging in since capturing his second Olympic gold at London , the culmination of his career. I'd humbly urge Lin Dan to do some serious self-reflection, even soul-searching. Above all else, he should be fully aware he owes all his successes to nothing but badminton. Lin Dan is not Lin Dan without badminton, an all-conquering,winning one at that. If not for his badminton unprecedented greatness which truly defines who he is, outside of the badminton stage he is just another 'somebody'. At the rate he is going of late, he may soon become a has-been, if not nobody, and sink into oblivion. I'm really hoping that his mentor, the legendary grandmaster Tang Xianhu, take the initiative or Lin Dan himself approach the master for a heart to heart talk, for I believe the master's pearls of wisdom and some personal advice and much-needed guidance would do more than anything else to get his act together. Why Tang Xianhu ? Because as Lin Dan revealed in his autobiography, he is what he is,owed what he has achieved, largely to Tang Xianhu who is mentor, coach and father figure to him, who has the greatest impact and influence on the development of his game and mental toughness, and to whom he accorded the highest credit and showed the deepest gratitude. Even till today, a mere word or a handwritten letter from his teacher-mentor (who can't type and prefer to write it out himself than dictate it for somebody else to type) is received by him with the utmost respect and treasured. I should like to think that after such a personal, close, one-to-one talking-to or expression of genuine, intimate, master-disciple, fatherly concern from someone whom Lin Dan reveres and holds in the highest esteem, he would certainly feel most awkward, embarrassed, even ashamed of himself if he carries in the same manner and continues to let the venerable Grandmaster Tang as well as himself down. Some of you may dismiss what I'm saying here as flimsy, expecting a pep talk from a highly regarded elder to do the trick. But I do have my reason or basis for it. Remember what happened to Lin Dan at the Athens 2004 Olympics, a R1 fiasco which threatened to end his young career then,he was only 21 years old, a turning-point in his life? The self-doubt was so debilitating it haunted him for years until Beijing'08. It was Li Yongbo who specifically appointed Tang Xianhu tasking him to concentrate on training and preparing him in the months leading up to the Beijing Olympics. What TXH mainly did as he revealed to the press years later was not so much on developing the technical aspect of LD's game but more on instilling self-confidence, inner belief, and engendering single-mindedness toward building mental toughness. The rest is history. Personally, I humbly believed, Lin Dan's problem doesn't lie with his skills and tactics (though adopting the wrong tactics is questionable), a fair bit has to do with waning physical fitness undeniably, as age is catching up, but much more to do with his lack of motivation, inner drive despite his declared goal of a three-peat at the Olympics. A word on the fitness part, what he lacks in physical condition can be made up for in adopting the right technique, overall strategy and gameplan for each match and specific opponent,for the whole tournament proper and, broadly, the careful, well-thought out planning and scheduling of tournaments for the entire year with the aim of peaking at the right time to achieve preset targets, the ultimate being gold at the Rio Olympics.
Well, when I said that LD did not behave properly in another thread, you jumped to the roof, screaming that it was ludicrous and invoked the BWF president or I don't know who!!! Look how you are speaking yourself now about the great LD, giving him moral lessons!
Haven't been reading much Chinese social media and fora, too time-consuming, so much to read, so huge the membership - Lin Dan alone has, how many followers? 20 million, if I remember correctly, and that was a couple years back. The most I do is once in a while to check in on a particular one or two Chinese websites, such as sina.com or qq.com, to keep myself posted. From the little I read, all I can say is there are more and more murmurings of dissatisfaction, disappointments and displeasure at Lin Dan's dismal performance, his once too often early tournament exits, the so-called one-round trips, and the humiliating defeats, notably at the hands of first JOJ, then VA. Still, on the other hand,of course, the legions of die-hard fans are unperturbed and unwavering in their (blind) loyalty and support of him. Btw, didn't Li Yongbo the other week come out to express his unhappiness and concerns about Lin Dan's repeated flops and said he would personally look into his physical training and tactical adjustments to his game ? He even hinted a threat saying Lin Dan's Olympic selection may be in jeopardy if he is unable to keep his ranking above his younger teammates', WZM and THW. However, only the other day, LYB announced that Chen Long and Lin Dan are more or less confirmed going to Rio. Wonder how he would react this time after Lin Dan was unceremoniously sent packing again in yet another R1 exit by Prannoy at the French Open on Wednesday.
Your implication of bad behaviour, if you didn't explain yourself later (eg not being very supportive of SS tourneys), can easily be construed to mean some kind violation of BWF rules whereas it is clear my connotation has to do with Lin Dan not performing to reasonable expectations. It'll be presumptuous of me to lecture Lin Dan morally, I was merely expressing my disappointment with him and earnestly hoping somebody could do something to help him get his act together. Obviously, you've misread the honest intention of my post which sounded unmistakably like a plea than anything else. No hard feelings.
Lin Dan is not doing justice with himself and paying the price for it.But this doesn't mean that he is not behaving well and harming the sport.Your accusation was completely different from what Justin wrote....It's not LD's responsibility to pull and entertain the crowd forever,others have to step up...
Lin Dan:From 2000 to 2015 2000: 2001: 2002: 2004: 2005: 2006: 2007: 2008: 2009: 2010: 2011: 2012: 2013: 2014: 2015:
No, no, I just meant not being serious playing badminton, being very light with his profession and showing no obligation towards his fans and the whole badminton world. Well, basically what you said eloquently in your post!
