Another loss to CL. CL is pretty much more determined to get the ticket to Tokyo than ever. Unless LD give his all or even more these coming months, his chance is getting even slimmer than it already has. Now that SYQ is back in action too. Next week LD will face HSV in R1. Pass that, he will face either LGZ or AA. Tough tough tough. But jia you!
https://bwfworldtour.bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2019/11/06/lin-declares-he-will-fight-on/ Lin Dan has plenty to ponder following another first round loss. LIN DECLARES HE WILL FIGHT ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019 TEXT BY DEV SUKUMAR | BADMINTONPHOTO It wasn’t the result he wanted, but Lin Dan’s opening round loss to Chen Long at the Fuzhou China Open 2019 wouldn’t be his last appearance, the two-time Olympic champion asserted. Lin was scotching feverish speculation in the media that he would call time on his eventful career at the China Open in the case of his ninth opening-round exit this year. Chen shows what it still means to beat Lin Dan. The rumours of his retirement had gained currency with Lin currently in the 18th spot of the BWF world rankings, way behind compatriots Chen Long (No.3) and Shi Yu Qi (No.4). With a maximum of two players from each Member Association eligible to qualify to the Tokyo Olympics if they are in the top 16 (as of 30 April 2020), Lin’s chances have receded, but he stated that he would continue his attempts to qualify. “Qualifying to the Tokyo Olympics is my biggest challenge; I will continue to do my best and try to get better results out of competitions,” Lin said, following his 19-21 21-12 21-12 loss to Chen. “I feel some regret that I couldn’t win today.” Given that he hadn’t crossed the second round of his last seven tournaments, and that he was taking on fellow-Olympic contender Chen Long, there was a buzz in the air when the two clashed in the first round. Lin’s mastery was still evident in patches. Lin was quick and sharp, using his deft wristwork to stay ahead of his younger opponent and showing greater initiative than he has in the recent past. And when he drew Chen to the net and slapped the shuttle past him, he celebrated with a vigorous fist pump. Among those keenly watching was Kento Momota, seen by many as Lin’s possible successor. Momota frequently let out gasps of admiration and shadow-played Lin’s shots as the veteran drew on his considerable resources to outplay his rival in the opening game. Chen, with the relentlessness of a machine, continued to play at a high pace and gave little away. Lin saved his breath for the third game, but Chen never let him get close. Still, the tension of the occasion was apparent, for Chen glared at his rival – and then apologised – when Lin missed a kill at the net close to the end. His celebrations were more animated than usual. For now, fans will be reassured that Lin has entered two tournaments in the next two weeks – the Hong Kong Open and the Gwangju Korea Masters.
Really delusional from Lin Dan if he thinks he can qualify for Tokyo. Would be interested to see what he will do after he exits the Top 32 - minimum rank to enter 500 or above tournaments. I guess he is ranked around 25 before this tournament started. Hans Kristian Vittinghus nearly sent Momota packing last week. He ain't losing to Lin Dan. Painful times for the maestro.
Ha ha. He just copied and pasted Dev Sukumar's post in bwfbadminton.org without providing the link. That's all.
In the match with Chen Long, Lin Dan actually played well with flashes of brilliance in G1 and barely took it 21-19 exhibiting proactive fine technique but as usual, his physicality let him down in the end as he couldn't keep up the pace in the next two sets. I can't help but wonder if his opponent wasn't Chen Long but someone lesser, he might prevail and even progress to the quarterfinals by beating another fellow teammate, Lu Guangzu (who eliminated Huang Yuxiang), the next day. Just speculating. That first set victory reminded me of how Lin Dan won the MAS Open at the beginning of the year except that this time Chen Long has regained quite a bit of his past form. To be honest, I harbour no illusions that Lin Dan at age 36 can ever improve on his speed and power to a requisite degree necessary to make him an intimidating player for most bar a couple of top opponents, otherwise there's simply no way he will be able to not only rise within the top 16 but also become at least the second-ranked CHN MS in the Race to Tokyo Standings. A tall order, to say the least. Clearly, age is against him and time is no longer on his side. It would take a near miracle for him to succeed against all odds. How I wish that in the Rio Olympics 2016 cycle, had he been more dedicated, disciplined, single-minded, and much less distracted by all those off-court commercial and private activities, including 'that' affair, who knows, he might even end up grabbing at least a silver, if not another, his third, Olympic gold, instead of going home empty-ended after flopping to nab a bronze in the third-place playoff.
Don't understand why he doe not retire. He has no chance of going to the Olympics and yet he plays in every tournament and loses in the first round. The legend is becoming a joke. At least LCW went out gracefully but LD is a joke now.
-25:45 (video time) DYP : LD started playing at the age of 5. 30 years of playing and every sportsman will have times when he is at his peak, and also times when he is struggling. At his age, if he want to go back to the top, he will find it more difficult than in the past. He will have to sacrifice more but he still persist. I feel this requires courage and is amazing. -23:35 DYP : In the past when I watched you played, I don't feel at ease. You have a hot temper. (Scenes of LD in angry mood) -23:10 LD : Everyone has different personality. When I looked back, I felt I can be called a perfectionist. Plus I was young, my speed and power was there, and my attacking game, hence I looked aggressive in people eyes. LD : Eg, when I trashed rackets. I believed I crashed the most rackets since CBA was formed. That was one time I crashed 4 rackets in a morning. It was a training at Zhuhai and we were having matches. I won but I don't feel satisfied. I don't feel I played well. So I just brought out all my rackets and trashed them all. DYP : How many rackets do each player have? LD : 5-6. When one is broken, you get a replacement. DYP : So what happen after you damaged all yours? LD : I was not fined any money, so I don't really care. DYP : Racket is expensive. How much? LD : Around 2k yuan. DYP : So that’s 8k. If you in table tennis team, you confirm finished. LD : That time, this racket model had stopped production. There was less than 2 cartons left in the national team. Beside me, Bao Chunlai, Chen Jin, Yu Yang, Du Jing were using this model. LD: In fact the quantity left was not enough for all of us. Li Yongbo told me if you really feel comfortable with this model, then you go and convince the others to switch to other newer models. DYP : Since coach was so protective (or biased) of you, don't you feel you were too much? LD : That moment, I didn't feel I let anyone down. I had trashed racket before but never this way. I was feeling a lot of pressure, and need space to calm myself. DYP : Why don't you find other rubbish or cheap stuff to thrash? LD : Ya, I should train with lousy rackets the next year. DYP : Did you still thrash racket now? LD : No, but I do think of doing so. I think its because of my age and the experiences I have went through, hence I have better control of myself and will think of the consequences. I think this is a sign of mature. LD : Sometime I feel mature is not a good thing as you will tend to consider too many matters. Eg I can't do this because many juniors or kids will see that. LD : I feel that one should be true to yourself. You wouldn't be a good sportsman if you dither between being yourself and trying to portray another personality. -16:24 DYP : You and LCW are the talking point of many fans. They love to watch you two playing together, but sometime also feel pity for LCW. LD : That show our countrymen are kind, wishing he will win 1 or 2 major title. To be honest, if history was changed, and he won a major title which I don't have, then the circumstances will be different. DYP : In the latter part, I have a feeling that he don't dare to beat you. Do you feel this? Do you feel you have beaten him to a manner that he yield to you? LD : I think if you asked him, he will say no. A sportsman should have a sense of ego. Even if you beat me in 100 matches, I still believe I'd win in the 101st match. LD : Since he lost the 2018 Olympics and the subsequent big finals, it might increase his burden mentally. -15:05 LD : He is the hero of the whole Malaysia country. When I played, maybe a few millions are watching (supporting) me. When he played, the whole nation was watching, hence he might carried too much expectations on his back. LD : Actually we started out together in 2000, until recently when he retired a few months ago. DYP : You two have a long history together. Are you on good terms with him? LD : It was not this way in the beginning. When we played against each other when we were 18-19, there was a fierceness in our matches. We were stared at each other in an aggressive way, the way young people stare. LD : After so many years, having family and kids, we will look at matters in a mature way. On the court we will fight hard, but at the end, win or lose, we will message each other. LD : I feel this is thanks to both set of fans, China and Malaysia. In the past, both sets will support their player. But now our performances have earned the respect the both sets of fans (plus fans all over the world). LD : Fans now respect and acknowledge both of us. His fans will come over to me for pictures. This is unlike the past when his fans can't wait to see you lose. LD : I feel that LCW is rightly acknowledged as an excellent player/sportsman in his career. He trained hard everyday to maintain his form, to beat me. LD : It is because of his excellent, that made the value/achievement of my victory great. Sometime, having such a rival is more important than coaching. It inspire you to further improve yourself. LCW : Without motivation, you may lose to others. Without LCW, LD might not win 2 Olympics. When the training is tough for LD, he might think of me. -10:55 DYP : You have won 19 world champion (individual + team). LD : My 20th is just being on the team sheet (refer to the last Thomas Cup when he didn't have the need to play). DYP : Plus 60+ other titles. That is glorious, a Super-Dan era. Are you the only player to win a Grand Slam twice (I think it is 2 sets of Olympic+Asian+Thomas+Surdirman) LD : I think so. It is not easy. Not only must you have the ability, the time must be right too. Olympic and Asian Games are once every 4 years. You might be the best in the world, but you could still miss the medal and have to wait for another 4 years. DYP : Which is your first world title? LD : 2004 Thomas Cup at Jakarta, when I was 21 years old. That year was also the Athens Olympics. After tasting the first world title victory, I started to work even harder, not only on the court, but also off the court, to convince people I'm the best. LD : Initally I want to be a world champion. Then later I want to be a great sportsman. There is a difference. A great sportsman not only has good archievement, but also to be a role model in the eyes of many. -8.53 DYP : Lately your performances in WC have been poor. First was the lost to Momota in 2018, then Prannoy in 2019. Your time is almost coming to an end. LD : These words seems like referring to the soccer team (China national football team is faring poorly, and have failed to qualify for the World Cup since Korea-Japan 2002). DYP : When will the Tokyo qualification period end? LD : End of April, left with 10-12 tournaments to go. At the end those with higher ranking will go through. At the moment for China, its CL, me, SYQ, LGZ. DYP : How long do you think you will keep playing? Or how long do you wish to continue playing? LD : I really didn't think that far. This is my 5th Olympics cycle, and I hope to create a miracle by qualifying, that why I am willing to train everyday with my juniors in their 17s, 18s. DYP : You was almost invincible in your peak. Now maybe a kid can beat you. This feeling of from heaven to earth, how do you feel? LD : I feel that I'm adjusting well. This is normal. Firstly sports is cruel. Nobody will feel they should give in to you because you are old, or being a multiple world champion. LD : Everyone feel it is an honour to beat me, so there is pressure on me. LD : Firstly I'm going after a new dream. Throughout there is pressure, doubts from many, and also critical reviews from media. These are not obstacles in my path to chase my dream. LD : Sometime you will feel lousy when you read these negative reports, but a sportsman should have a stronger heart, and ignore these people. -5:15 LD : Some players want to persist on playing. First he don't have the ability. Second he lack courage. I feel I still have the ability to compete. They can beat me, and I can also win them. -4:00 Others : We have seen you taking part in variety shows. What do you feel about entertainment industry? LD : I wanted to try different things when I had some spare time in the past. But now the training schedule is hectic, and I have cancel many such performances since last year. Others : Which field interest you? LD : Design or costume. At the moment, I just want to focus on badminton. I'd have a lot of time to try other fields when I retire. -2:40 DYP : Do you have time for family? LD : I still have family time after training end, and I'm having fun with my kid (almost coming to 3 years old). DYP : Will you want him to play badminton? LD : Not badminton. It is too tough. DYP : Same here for my child. LD : It is getting more competitive in badminton. DYP : Why not? With you and your wife's gene, he might be a super-super-Dan. LD : Not yet playing and opponents will have already analysed him (after studying LD and XXF). LD : I just want him to be involve in other sports, to help him physically and mentally.
He feel he can still compete and want to see if he can play in his 5th Olympics. His legacy will still be intact, no matter how many first round exits he have. There are so many players who exit early in almost every tournaments but they still participate because they are still in the top 32. As for LCW, he was force to retire.
Thanks for the translation @lodoss . Really appreciate your hardwork translating and writing this long post so as to give non Mandarin speaking people a chance to get an inside peek into this very candid interview. Loved this interview from Lin Dan. Very candid. I don't care what people say about him that he should retire. I think he doesn't have to prove anything. He wants to play, so let him play. He's made his own reputation not to please anyone but for himself and this record will be for him and his fans. So he doesn't need to ask from anyone to approve of his commitment to play badminton or not. His legacy is too big a thing to be easily "finished" just because he's losing in first round , second round. He's what in top 20 and 35-36 years old, shows the quality he posseses even till now. Even if he loses, he makes it sure to stretch the match to his limits. The way he answered questions regarding differences of being a great player and a great sportsperson, his rivalry with LCW, what makes his achievements great (credit to LCW), how the relation with LCW transformed from aggressive when they used to stare down to friendly. The interview had it all. Again thanks for your work
indeed, near the end of the interview, DYP (herself a legend and olympic champion) said she retired at her peak due to injury/unwell/pain in her body. for LD to continue playing now, it show he still can play and has the courage to step onto the court, not afraid of losing. he is still rank high enough for 500/750/1000 grade tournaments. when he eventually retire, people and documentary will remember him as a champion, legend, instead of one exiting from first 2 rounds in his last years of playing.
To you probably. We have different opinions. At least nothing he does now can ever take away the golds he had won all this time.
