noticed LD has been a bit bulk lately compared to when he's in his prime, he definitely is not as fast and smooth when he's younger but still happy to have him around and watch the legend play https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKMvXUvwCb4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lINFt0DiSyA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhzITwQEnT0 ^ old but gold, LD would still own any player in this current era if they would have to face him in his prime like this one, even Chen Long would have to succumb to become dominated like LCW or BCL if he's to be born earlier
Really unfair to compare players from two different eras. Chen Long is currently by far the best badminton player and it would be unfair on Chen Long to compare him and see how he woudl have performed had he played during the prime days of LD. LD was a legend during his prime but that does not mean he would have beaten Chen Long at that time. Lets watch & enjoy the legends from the their respective era.
Yes, nothing special about that video. Current Chen Long would still beat that LD quite frequently. LD level hasn't dropped much (if at all), and the rest of the world has caught up.
Lin Dan's current level hasn't dropped much? Ask LYB and his coaches, if not judge it yourself unless you're in denial. Only when LD steps up to anywhere near his best can we say that, and I believe he can still do it. From watching the video posted by mikescully, I'm immediately struck by what a world of difference the young or younger LD was compared to what he is today. The pre-LOG'12 LD ,even more so the Beijing'08 LD (in fact in 2007, he was like that, more or less), he was so dynamic, very attacking, fast and furious (less so by LOG'12), always proactive, seizing the initiative, often turning defence into attack at every opportunity, and generally marked by creativity and deceptiveness in his game. LD nowadays has slowed down a lot, with only the occasional burst of speed, much less offensive, higher in deceptiveness though as well as being more creative, and generally rely more on the quality of his shot-making and ability to read the opponent's game to anticipate better - on the whole, whether in attack or defence, he is a pale shadow of his former self. I daresay, you're probably in denial not to recognize that. Interestingly, Li Yongbo has openly said, LD since his last comeback in 2014 has never been back to his best, not quite 90%, perhaps briefly at the Incheon AG where he beat Chen Long for the gold. No, it's not that the rest of the world has caught up - just look at how Sony Kuncoro played in that video, and also , if you care to check, how others at that time played, such as Simon Santoso, Bao Chunlai, Peter Gade, Lee Hyun Il, and Lee CW, just to name a few. For LCW since his comeback, it's only at the French Open last month that he is back to his attacking best but, to be honest, I'm not sure how long he can maintain it going forward. IMHO, I'd say Chen Long actually straddles two eras, Lin Dan's GOAT era and his own, The Dragon era, if I may take the liberty to call the two eras that. So I think it's not too far-fetched to make a reasonable,realistic comparison between them; after all, the two are still in active competition, the 26-yr-old Chen Long at his prime while the 32-yr-old Lin Dan is off his peak at the moment. If I may venture to say, my personal subjective opinion is that Lin Dan is still better than Chen Long at their prime. The closest we've seen or could based our opinions on may be the AG 2014 encounter where I feel both combatants are nearly at their respective best. Perhaps Chen Long's pinnacle is at the Rio Olympics next year ? The six-year age gap between the two maestros complicate matters certainly, not to mention Chen Long is now at the height of his career while Lin Dan is at the tail end. So I'd go along with the expert assessments of Peter Gade, Lee Hyun IL, Taufik Hidayat, Lee Chong Wei, J O Jorgensen, Li Yongbo, etc, and give the vote to Lin Dan as truly the best of the best. Try asking Chen Long (some reporters did) and you can be sure he would not hesitate to modestly reply that there is simply no comparison except to say he still has a lot to learn from LD, not trying to be another LD but to be the best he can be, and so on and so forth. Just a point to note that my criteria used to make comparisons are skills/talents, fitness,and mental toughness. I deliberately leave out attainments for which it's incontrovertible that Lin Dan is the most decorated by far. No doubt Chen Long at 26 years of age has several more years ahead to catch up but undeniably just LD's 5 WC and 2 OG alone (excluding other accomplishments,eg AG, SS/PSS, Thomas/Sudirman Cups, CHN National Games, H2H with his main rivals) is already a hard act for Chen Long,or anybody for that matter, to follow, in fact. While everyone is entitled to his own opinion (but not to his own facts, a quote attributed to Daniel Patrick Moynihan), I'd like to believe my argument is tenable, not tenuous. As I expect such a debate comparing Lin Dan and Chen Long at their best is bound to lead to heated discussions, it is advisable to start a thread for it, if need be.
When CL has won 2 OG and numerous other titles, you can say it's debatable, until then, LD is without a doubt the best of all time (so far). Anyone looking at LD play these days has to admit that he's not even close to his 2007-2012 level. That is mostly due to him slowing down with age, what I find admirable is that he's able to adapt and change his play style to one that doesn't really come naturally to him.
Lets not become astrologers in forecasting CL career whether he is going to win more Olympic medals or super series titles than LD. Time would tell whether CL is going to achieve more than LD. At the moment CL is the best player and can give other players a run for their money. LD has gone past his prime and it reflected his recent performance. LD downfall started in the CHina Open when Srikanth defeated him and now it has become a regular affair to see LD getting beaten by lower ranked players. Match between Axelsen & LD turned out to be a one sided affair and it is a clear indication that LD is past his prime. Truth is Bitter
The truth is for LD, nothing else matters for him other than a third OG gold... well, other than selling underwear, sunglasses, coffee shop, etc...
Jokes apart, there is not even a remote possibility of LD getting his third Olympics Gold. Truth is Bitter