Yup, Lin Dan will play in the German Open before going to the All England. But I won't expect too much from him. Every player who has an opportunity to play him should seize and cherish it as it offers a realistic chance of inflicting a rare defeat on him,particularly for those who've never beaten him before. I think for the first three months of his comeback, he would be at most at 80% of his former prowess, therefore more beatable than before his six-month break. I make bold to say he would need about six months to get back to 100%. IMHO, I venture to say this coming August World Championship, Lee CW's chances esp and possibly Chen Long's as well are just as good if not better. Anyway,let's see how he performs in the German and All England tournaments first. Can't wait for it.
Found this article which hinted at it but earlier I came across a Chinese online article that mentioned it but I forgot to save the link or article. Hope it's true. http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2012/12/23/sports/12498908 It make sense for him to play in the German Open GPG as a warm-up to the AE. After that there is only the India Open SS in April which I doubt he will play in and then the all-important Sudirman Cup in May; too few events prior to it to help him shape up.
This article I chanced upon is dated (10th Mar 2012) but I post it here to show what Lin Dan said of Taufik Hidayat. http://sg.news.yahoo.com/lin-dan-hails-defeated-hidayat-185422189--spt.html "Taufik has given a lot of happiness and we are grateful to him," he said of Hidayat. "He is one of the greatest and I really admire him, but unfortunately we can't avoid things like retirement," added Lin, who had been thinking of stopping himself at the London Olympics but now says he may go on.
Yes, there is a chance that LD's performance will be bad enough. but as coins have two sides, there is also a chance that his performance after break will be even better (maybe he already undergoing some special training too?), isn't it? i personally hope the 2nd option will shown up. In any case, i just hope he can walk far enough in All England so i have chance to see him playing.
In the end, LD & XXF commercial go to public. http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=6ybiQhTR3yo So sweetty....
^ thank you for share the video. pretty nice clip. xixixi. now we know where had he gone for 6 months. shooting ad's clip.
You're welcome Yes... Since Olympic London until now we don't know clearly when LD will be playing in tournament
wow, he really want to win at least a title in SEA huh? .. skipping swiss, german and all england open...coming back with a BANG!
then lin dan wont be able to play in INA pss or SG ss because he cant qualify for those. he also wont be able to play in wc then
Lin Dan skipping AE and even Sudirman Cup only to play in June's SG SS and INA PSS, in effect extending his break to 10 months ? That piece of news claims to be supposedly from " our German colleagues in Badzine" as reported by Raphael Sachetat of Badzine,but I doubt its veracity. Why wasn't it first reported in the Chinese media? Besides, Lin Dan's leave was approved for six months only, unless something else crops up? Not that I've heard of, anyone? Don't forget, doing national honours in the Sudirman Cup is every national player's foremost duty when called upon; in fact it's the player's wish too. The only reason I can speculate on is Xie Xingfang's pregnancy for which Lin Dan wishes to be around when the baby is born. Remember, though Lin Dan has been tightlipped about it whenever he is asked, the couple has actually sent their pet dog to their uncle's place some time ago. But still it doesn't make sense as it was only a week or so ago that he announced his intention to come back in March by playing in the All England or possibly the German Open prior to it as we've heard. As an aside, according to reports, Lin Dan has expressed his wish to publish an English version of his autobiography towards promoting the sport of badminton. Good news,this one.
His place in history is pretty much assured - so doesn't matter if and when LD decides to play again. Although I was actually expecting him to accumulate enough pts to qualify for the World Championships since it is in China this year .......
Latest update on Lin Dan's comeback http://sports.qq.com/a/20130123/000237.htm His leave now officially finishes in end March which means he will skip the All England that he recently announced he would play in. As to whether he will play in the Sudirman Cup is still uncertain, it depends on his fitness condition and form closer to the event. No wonder the badzine article said he would miss the German, All England, Swiss and India Opens, the Sudirman Cup is uncertain, and his comeback should begin with the SG and INA Opens. Indeed, no smoke without fire. For me, I'm disappointed he's not playing in the AE which to me is a special and prestigious if not major championship. Frankly, considering his current form or lack thereof, I somewhat doubt he can win it even if he takes part in it as his first strong comeback event. Also of concern is when he does resume competition in June after a break of 10 months , he would probably struggle to get back into best shape for an even longer time than if he were to come back in March. That means my confidence in him defending his world championship title in August is in serious doubt. The crown is likely to be fought between Lee CW and Chen Long with the former the slightly bigger favourite to take his first major title. Meanwhile, it's clear China has to rely on Chen Long to deliver the goods and handle Lee CW for who else can take him on; this looks to be the situation for the rest of the year, I think. I'm still left wondering why Lin Dan changed his mind about coming back in March starting with the AE or perhaps German GPG prior to it. I venture to say it may have to do with Xie Xingfang's pregnancy (not sure at what stage) as I've said, for he won't want to be away when his wife gives birth bearing in mind his family now comes first. The answer will become clear in due course. Wish Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang the very best.
Woohoo, hot from the frying pan and supposedly from the horse's mouth http://sports.qq.com/a/20130123/000659.htm Lin Dan has just quashed those rumours about his delayed comeback and re-confirmed he is playing in the All England come March ! Hip, hip, hurray!
Looking forward to him returning to world badminton, it will be interesting to see what the current power rankings of the players are now. In my opinion LCW is #1 at the moment, I'd be surprised if LD even makes the final, but he's surprised me before!
According to CBA team leader Li Weiguo, the CHN national team will be taking a 9-day break from 8th Feb to 16 Feb for the Lunar New Year. http://sports.qq.com/a/20130129/000441.htm He also revealed that Lin Dan's leave will expire end Feb but no mention when he is resuming national training. My concern is if he doesn't start his systematic training with the national squad now, how is he going to prepare well for the All England? That's why I think he will struggle to regain his form for at least the first 3 to 6 months beginning from March. So fans of Lin Dan had better brace themselves for a rollercoaster ride during the first 6 months of his comeback. Personally, I am realistically not expecting much from him for I doubt he will ever be the same again after having peaked twice in his career so far. The more so when I consider the following reasons: 1) His family now comes first as he has openly declared; 2) He has been there and done that so many times, so where is the motivation to do more of the same? 3) He carries on playing badminton for the love of the sport not so much in pursuit of accolades; 4) His training regimen will be unlike before to suit his present needs and situation - in other words, don't expect him to train as hard and intense as before considering not just his age but also his changed circumstances; 5) He will continue to be selective, even more so going forward, in the tournaments he take part in , giving priority to competitions where national glory is at stake - viewed from another angle, he won't mind not winning the individual titles but will give of his best in the team championships. If I may humbly say so, of the above reasons, I believe lack of sufficient motivation should be the main cause of his not being able to maintain top form throughout. However, though that may be so, I won't entirely rule out the possibility of Lin Dan peaking for the third time nearer to the Rio Olympics 2016 should he really stay on till then but whether he wins it or not is another matter. Nevertheless, I'm always reminded of the Swedish legend Bjorn Borg who suddenly shocked the tennis world by announcing his retirement at age 26 while still at the height of his career citing the lack of motivation as the primary reason. Whatever the outcome, I will cherish and regard every tournament Lin Dan plays in from now on as a bonus while at the same time prepared to accept Chen Long's readiness to take over the mantle from him. Regardless whether he wins any more titles hereafter, his place in history as the greatest ever is unchallenged as many would agree with me. Let's continue to enjoy Lin Dan's era while it's still our good fortune to do so.
but he will do it different way this year for sure. at least, he is not as well prepared as last years, isn't it? so maybe that will be the challenge for him.
