Because others are more disrespectful doesn't mean that Sukamuljo isn't. This was, and is, not a Denmark vs. Indonesia thread - I do not condone either Boe or Mogensens behavior. I can't stand either of them. They often act like babies if the calls aren't going their way. He knew he hit his opponent, because how else would he follow up if he had retrieved it? I know that match got pretty heated, but that doesn't justify not to excuse when hitting an opponent.
In your opinion, is there anything different they do compared to their predecessors? Or is it more of the same old same old?
I don't have much footage of Mainaky to go by, but I think he was similarly fast and unpredictable as Kevin. I think what is different are the risks that Kevin takes, leaving his partner to have to try and cover/recover the rally. It results in a lot of points won due to the unpredictable half chances that are taken, but is obviously also a high risk strategy. The previous generation (Tony Gunawan, Hendra Setiawan etc) were a lot more disciplined and took less half chances. However, they were indomitable and their tactics were fantastic. There was just no way to beat them - you had to hope they made mistakes or had a bad day - and that didn't happen very often. You watched them play with their partners, and they had amazing defence, powerful smashes and incredible net coverage, and they covered the court with their partners really well: it is a fantastic winning formula. This is very different to the current pairing - against them you need to be alert and wait for your chances, and be ready for unexpected shots; you will need great defence, but if you are capable of it then you may be able to outlast them. If anyone can suggest some good footage of Rexy Mainaky, I would like to see it! I really don't know him as well as I would like.
I've seen some videos of Rexy's games but IMO he's not comparable to the more agile and unpredictable style of Kevin. Kevin IMO is like the energizer bunny on steroids I still have yet to see someone as fast and as interceptive and antics loaded doubles player like Kevin.
With that flying backhand smash too, always wonder how he able to do that... The word 'small' and 'flying' just makes a great spectacle.
That's part of the showmanship quality Kevin has that some players seem to find annoying and unnerving and label as "disrespectful" behavior on court
One big factor is the current lack of competition at the top level MD. Lee Yong Dae has retired, Zhang Nang is no longer playing with Fu. Setiawan/Ahsan is no longer together. Goh/Tan is suffering from the mysterious syndrome of under-performance and over-confidence that so many Malay pairs before them suffer through. Japanese pairs like Sonoda/Kamura are struggling to win in Finals, probably due to their over-reliance on speed and strength. The Russian pair, Ivanov and Sozonov, is always suffering from poor communication. Watching past matches btw Kevin/Marcus and other established pairs, you will see that Lee Yong Dae or Zhang Nam beat them quite comfortably (by a margin of 5 points or more). And those matches happened just in 2016 when Kevin/Marcus has already had time to get used to each other as a pair. I'd recommend watching those matches, their antics look flashy but rarely get through solid defensive skills of Lee Yong Dae or Zhang Nan.
why zhang nan is difficult to beat marcus/kevin now? will zhang/fu beat marcus/kevin comfortably now? if lee yong dae/yoo yeon seong come back, will they beat marcus/kevin easily?
Zhang Nan's current partner, Liu Cheng, crumbled under pressure. It's not the first time Liu falters. In fact Zhang Nan initially tried out with Liu Cheng and lost to top pairs like LYD and Setiawan, so he is then paired up with Fu. You can watch some of the more recent matches btw Zhang Nan/Liu Cheng and Marcus/Kevin to see that the Indonesian mostly gain advantage when they hit to Liu Cheng. Zhang Nang's efficient play outmatch Kevin's flashiness, until Zhang Nang became distracted by Liu's errors. LYD/YYS has had their time. Their chemistry is okay, but not enough to bring the partnership back to where it was. LYD is too dominating in the partnership and he seems to force his partner to play his game, rather than trying to compromise. First it was with Ko Sung Huyn and then YYS, only YYS is more willing to listen to LYD. Granted, LYD is probably correct in knowing what it takes to win and demanding it from his partner. But the partnership suffers as a result. If LYD/YYS come back, I doubt they will rise to the same level before. BUT yes, LYD/YYS at their prime, or better yet LYD/JJS at their prime, will comfortably beat Marcus/Kevin.
