Somehow I can't imagine the two of them to play MD (or XD,even more strenuous for the guy, for that matter) until age 40 with the kind of speed and power required in the discipline in recent years. I must say that for Lin Dan and LCW to go as far as Tokyo 2020, when their respective age will be 37 and 38, is the maximum limit I can envisage, to be honest.
The basic gateway is no-go: while BAM would be fine, CBA won't register LD for any other stuff that can cause conflict of interests. Case in point? Cai Yun and Boe.
Honestly, I don't think they'll lose that much speed or power. I think they would lose some longevity, and it would become more difficult for them to activate that speed and power all the time, but that's the big plus to doubles. They aren't chasing the shuttle around constantly. In some ways there's more down time, like if their partner is at the back attacking, then they have a little less requirement to expend energy. I think adapting would be much tougher. We saw LCW and LD play a friendly in doubles and there was some confusion, but it's nothing they couldn't overcome I don't think. EDIT: I didn't mean them playing together. I mean them just changing discipline.
You mean, baby Xiao Yu, a bundle of joy, is not one of the motivations to Lin Dan ? At least it serves to lift his spirit and spurs him on at competition and training, which you hinted earlier.
I don't know if it will happen, but it would be the most awesome thing ever if LD and LCW can make it to the Tokyo Olympics. As others have said, LCW is the more likely of the two but there's always the risk of injuries sidelining them at this age.
He can always bring little Xiao Yu to the training. Also, we are yet to see how Xiao Yu reads the game.
Dont see them doing well in doubles at all. Both have technical weaknesses that would be exploited in the much faster-paced discipline. Also they already lost some (LCW) or a significant portion (LD) of their speed, so I dont quite agree with that point either....and a lot of the game depends on you reading it well, which I dont think they would, having no experience in high-level competition. Would be a sight to see, though
Hmm...I see, in MD they can rotate if required to carry on smashing; the rest of the time is speed and placement shots in spurts , not all the time, and there are two persons to share the workload. Still, I think going beyond age 40 is quite a stretch. Yeah, true, the two of them partnering each other in international competition will run into obstacles by their respective MA but if they both go independent, they can circumvent the problem.
@j4ckie It seems that way, but I don't think it's the case. I think they just know that if they played at that tempo all the time, they would end up fatigued and unable to play their best game. But yeah their game isn't currently suited for doubles, there were a few slip ups even in their exhibition, but I think those two would be capable of learning the discipline. @Justin L that's my thought, if they balance the work load well, they both have amazing racket skills. Lin Dan especially has the capability to play doubles I feel; if you watch his style of play, from the use of drives, to his body defensive capabilities (and I've made the contrary point that LD's defence at the tram lines isn't so good because he relies on diving too much), are incredible. We've all seen at least one of his non-diving defensive shots where he's whipped the shuttle cross court perfectly to the tram line, or one of his "I'm in trouble but I'll still play a good quality shot when the shuttle is in the back tram lines, at knee height, and I'm facing away from the net".
But those shots from the back are exclusive to singles. His good defense in singles is mostly a product of really good anticipation and court coverage, and while the first helps just as much in doubles, smashes are harder there and high/drive defense much more necessary, and thats where I dont see him very strong compared to doubles players. His slightly awkward grip on drives and grip low near the base make him slower as well. Both would've been capable of transitioning something like 4-5 years ago, I believe, but I dont really see the point now. By the time they would have adapted to the different discipline, they would have lost too much of their physical capabilities, not to mention that they are a bit slight for doubles players and probably couldnt sustain the constant high pace and hard smashes for very long
apparently, relative to world wide participation and viewing, that hasn't translated into a whole lot of money up to now.
I tend to agree with you there Jackie, really can't see either LD or LCW transitioning to playing doubles. LD has never been great at fast drives, much preferring to play soft in the flat game (that said, he can push/drive extremely hard on the forehand side given the right opportunity, not so much on the backhand though); for LCW, his body smash defense isn't quite at the level of top double players. If I have to pick someone who would be able to transition to doubles, that would be Chen Long. His lateral movement, defense, and flat game are all perfect. Highly unlikely we'll ever see any of these players making a switch, but it's fun to think about.
Lin Dan is neither a front Court player nor a back court player, he does the damage from the middle and aims to stretch his opponents to all four corners rather than bombarding his way forward. His defense involves a lot of anticipation and he doesn't protect his corners like some of the traditional defenders of the game do. That's why his transition from Defence to attack is the fastest and he gets the control of the rally far easier than his competitors.
This is why I think he would be good in doubles, I think his dives are the weakest part of his defence. If he doesn't have to dive, he would be a brick wall.
I really, really doubt he could contend with any Top20 doubles player. He plays awesome soft defense, but thats not always a possibility in MD and will get you killed if you cant push it through the net player once in a while. Zhang Nan has awesome doubles defense that wouldnt work in singles, LD has great singles defense that would be almost useless in doubles.
I don't think playing doubles is less demanding physically. Age limitations are the same then in single. Perhaps the idea that older players can play doubles comes from tennis.
While I understand you enjoy exaggerating and misleading posts, I take exception to your claim of LD rejecting to play in Singapore Open. A player has to apply, through his BA, to register to play in Singapore Open. You can say LD chose to miss the Singapore Open but to suggest that he rejected the tournament is to imply that Singapore Open is lesser without his presence. That is far from the truth. LD has never won the title here. Singapore Open is a tournament that supports the underdogs. It is challenging for top seeds to win. When LD plays here, he knows his lesser opponents are likely to get more support than him, an opposite feeling to what he is used to when he plays in other tournaments. You research the Singapore Open MS champions over the last 10 years and you can understand how many different names there are. I am delighted Singapore Open will not have LCW or LD participating. Singapore Open have always been a tremendous tournament where the underdogs play their best badminton and realise their potential , proving themselves worthy champions.
