TheStar
SINGAPORE: Forty-eight minutes was all Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat (pic, above) of Indonesia needed to pack off China’s Chen Hong in the men’s singles final of the Singapore Open badminton championships at the Singapore Indoor Stadium yesterday.

The 15-9, 15-3 win brought Taufik, who is ranked eighth in the world, his first international title since taking the gold medal at the Athens Olympics last August. His efforts yesterday was worth US$13,600 while Chen Hong, who is ranked seventh in the world, pocketed US$6,800.

The 28-year-old Chen Hong, who had eliminated defending champion Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark in the quarter-finals, had no answer to the relentless onslaught of the 24-year-old Indonesian.

And Taufik said at the post-match press conference that he was playing at “only 70%” as he prepares himself for the World Championships in California next month. He will be in action in this week’s Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur.

“I am on track in my preparations. Before coming to Singapore, I had set myself a target of winning either in Singapore or Malaysia. Now that I have won here, I am all geared up for the Malaysian Open,” he said.

“I want to be the world champion. I hope to gain enough ranking points to get among the top four seeds for the world championships.”

Indonesia won another title through the men’s doubles combination of Sigit Budiarto-Candra Wijaya. They defeated Danes Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen 8-15, 15-8, 15-7 in the final to pocket US$12,240.

In the women’s singles final, second seed Zhang Ning won her fourth Singapore Open title and it was again Zhou Mi whom she beat to take home US$11,730.

“Singapore is a happy hunting ground for me and I will be back for my fifth title,” said the 30-year-old Zhang Ning.

Wow, Hidayat really is cocky, "only 70%" lol. I wonder what he would have said if he lost to chen hong.

Wow, Hidayat really is cocky, "only 70%" lol. I wonder what he would have said if he lost to chen hong.

He will say "only 70%" too.

He will need 120% to beat Lin Dan....

good thing i didnt bet any money ( i had guessed LD to win). I think taufik and his coach had done their homework and preparation, and maybe found a weak crack in the great wall of china.

He will need 120% to beat Lin Dan....I can't believe Lin Dan lost to Chen Hong. :mad:

I can't believe Lin Dan lost to Chen Hong. :mad:
heh...chen hong lost to taufik..not lindan..

heh...chen hong lost to taufik..not lindan..The match before that I meant.

heh...chen hong lost to taufik..not lindan..

Taufik beat Gade 15-13 17-15 in Quarter
Taufik beat Lin Dan 15-12 15-8 in Semis
Taufik beat Chen 15-9 15-3 in Finals

:D

He will need 120% to beat Lin Dan....

That is only if Lindan perform 150 %

Wow, Hidayat really is cocky, "only 70%" lol. I wonder what he would have said if he lost to chen hong.

If you read carefully, he said he is 70% ready for the world cup. It doesn't mean he was 70% when he beated ChenHong

IMO, the only "player" that can beat Taufik is himself...Technique, stroke and footwork wise, he has the "most balanced"..In the recent SC, he lost the match vs. LD after leading and almost closed out the 1st set..Eventhough he lost the 2nd set quite quickly, overall throughout the game i thought Taufik really had control of LinDan..
Again, like i mentioned few times before, it's just his lackadaisical or arrogant or what-have-you mental attitude which most often cause him to fail...

Right now, *if* all the top 6-8 MS players are "in-form", personally i would rank it:
1. Taufik
2. LinDan
3. Peter Gade
4. Chen Hong
5. Kenneth Jonassen
6. BaoCL
7. Hafiz Hashim
8. LeeCW

good thing i didnt bet any money ( i had guessed LD to win). I think taufik and his coach had done their homework and preparation, and maybe found a weak crack in the great wall of china.

If you read carefully, he said he is 70% ready for the world cup. It doesn't mean he was 70% when he beated ChenHong"And Taufik said at the post-match press conference that he was playing at “only 70%” as he prepares himself for the World Championships in California next month. He will be in action in this week’s Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur."

Well, I guess overall, he said he was only playing 70% during the Spore open to prepare himself for the upcoming WC.

I would say that Taufit has better all round technique and stroke repertoire than anyone, including Lin Dan. Just look at Taufit's backhand stroke repertoire: clears, cross and straight drops, smashes down the line and cross court, plus drives down the line and diagonally! His baseline is so strong that he stands literally next to the net for his trademark kill: exquisite net shots followed by his stinging killer smashes.

Taufik beat Gade 15-13 17-15 in Quarter
Taufik beat Lin Dan 15-12 15-8 in Semis
Taufik beat Chen 15-9 15-3 in Finals

:D
This is incredible:eek:

IMO, the only "player" that can beat Taufik is himself...Technique, stroke and footwork wise, he has the "most balanced"..In the recent SC, he lost the match vs. LD after leading and almost closed out the 1st set..Eventhough he lost the 2nd set quite quickly, overall throughout the game i thought Taufik really had control of LinDan..
Again, like i mentioned few times before, it's just his lackadaisical or arrogant or what-have-you mental attitude which most often cause him to fail...

Right now, *if* all the top 6-8 MS players are "in-form", personally i would rank it:
1. Taufik
2. LinDan
3. Peter Gade
4. Chen Hong
5. Kenneth Jonassen
6. BaoCL
7. Hafiz Hashim
8. LeeCW

I tend to agree, while I still give Peter Gade great credit although he can't always translate his skills into results. maybe it's also mental issue with him. being such a nice guy he cannot give that extra mental toughness needed on close matches and tend to lose in that cases. I think I suffer same problem because I am not so afraid of loosing (of course I only play in the gym with friends).
otherwise, he is great player with amazing shots accuracy and control, maybe he needs to be a but more aggressive on court in order to win.
I really wish to see him grab some title while he is still able to do it ...

C'mon guys, Taufik was not cocky. Did you guys watch the match. I did. Chen Hong was not playing at the capacity as a world class player. He made a lot of errors, especially at the net, the errors that world class player should not have made. This gave a lot of advantanges to Taufik. I think Chen Hong was fearful with Taufik reputation. So, he got carried away before or during the match. Just look at how he played from the start, like a child. So, Taufik nicely manipulated this. I tend to have that feeling as well when playing with someone I was never able to beat.

And, yes Taufik was correct to say that he was playing at 70% of his capability. That is how I see it anyway.

I would say that Taufit has better all round technique and stroke repertoire than anyone, including Lin Dan. Just look at Taufit's backhand stroke repertoire: clears, cross and straight drops, smashes down the line and cross court, plus drives down the line and diagonally! His baseline is so strong that he stands literally next to the net for his trademark kill: exquisite net shots followed by his stinging killer smashes.

Absolutely agree!! I was at AVIVA Open to catch his performance. He's simply all-rounded! Juz look at his net-play, sharp smashes, backhand plays (esp his back-hand smashes....) I was so amazed !! I salute Taufik! Well done n keep it up!! :D

C'mon guys, Taufik was not cocky. Did you guys watch the match. I did. Chen Hong was not playing at the capacity as a world class player. He made a lot of errors, especially at the net, the errors that world class player should not have made. This gave a lot of advantanges to Taufik. I think Chen Hong was fearful with Taufik reputation. So, he got carried away before or during the match. Just look at how he played from the start, like a child. So, Taufik nicely manipulated this. I tend to have that feeling as well when playing with someone I was never able to beat.
And, yes Taufik was correct to say that he was playing at 70% of his capability. That is how I see it anyway.

hey, you are absolutly right i don't think taufik is cocky either !
maybe last time in the sudiman cup when he player against lin dan
he was a little , but this time he was really concentrated just in the game
and that made him the most powerful

You have to give Taufik some credit. He really played well this time.

i m sure Taufik is not that cocky too, i read a few days ago in a local newspaper. his comment after beating Lin Dan.....
" I can't believe i beat LinDan that easy.....i m not sure wheter he play not in his form or i play better than him....i want to meet him again in WC "

Taufik is not cocky this time.... and I think he himself was also surprised a little bit when he beat Lindan so easily. it was lindan who didnot play up to par:)

i think taufik has changed a lot.. he has became more patient in his games...

I pretty much agree :)



IMO, the only "player" that can beat Taufik is himself...Technique, stroke and footwork wise, he has the "most balanced"..In the recent SC, he lost the match vs. LD after leading and almost closed out the 1st set..Eventhough he lost the 2nd set quite quickly, overall throughout the game i thought Taufik really had control of LinDan..
Again, like i mentioned few times before, it's just his lackadaisical or arrogant or what-have-you mental attitude which most often cause him to fail...

Right now, *if* all the top 6-8 MS players are "in-form", personally i would rank it:
1. Taufik
2. LinDan
3. Peter Gade
4. Chen Hong
5. Kenneth Jonassen
6. BaoCL
7. Hafiz Hashim
8. LeeCW

Wow, Hidayat really is cocky, "only 70%" lol. I wonder what he would have said if he lost to chen hong.
It is a misrepresentation from the author my friend.... The author had it wrong

The actual quotation from http://www.worldbadminton.net/Portal/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=10&ItemID=1818 (http://www.worldbadminton.net) says...

"You can say that I'm 70% ready for Los Angeles." said Taufik.

Anyway... Taufik is a nice guy... he even sign my friend's T-shirt during warm up before a game lol~

Also, Taufik is a playboy, hehehe ...

hey, question:
What racket does taufik use anyways? It looks abit like at700, but not completely.

i found it hard to believe that taufik beat lin dan so badly on the second set.

There is a fine line between admiration and obsession. I wonder what you'd come up with had Taufik been the loser.
IMO, the only "player" that can beat Taufik is himself...Technique, stroke and footwork wise, he has the "most balanced"..In the recent SC, he lost the match vs. LD after leading and almost closed out the 1st set..Eventhough he lost the 2nd set quite quickly, overall throughout the game i thought Taufik really had control of LinDan..
Again, like i mentioned few times before, it's just his lackadaisical or arrogant or what-have-you mental attitude which most often cause him to fail...

Right now, *if* all the top 6-8 MS players are "in-form", personally i would rank it:
1. Taufik
2. LinDan
3. Peter Gade
4. Chen Hong
5. Kenneth Jonassen
6. BaoCL
7. Hafiz Hashim
8. LeeCW

hey, question:
What racket does taufik use anyways? It looks abit like at700, but not completely.

i found it hard to believe that taufik beat lin dan so badly on the second set.

Yes Taufik use AT700!

Lin Dan beat Taufik in China because it was Taufik's 1st appearance on court in half a year... and if u look back then... Lin Dan just beat Taufik and never had control of the game
This time Taufik made no mistake and had Lin Dan panic... and then he got beaten badly 2nd set due to mistakes all the way.... same goes for Chen Hong

half a year away from the court?
Sounds a bit coky dont you think? Only some guy that thinks he can't be beaten will do such a thing...

Don't you guys get it? It's all psycological. He's toying with the minds of all the other players to create an aura of invincibility. To start of with, he's very self confident and isn't shy to show it. He's already got an edge before he even steps onto the court.

Look at some of the top sports personalities in the world; Mike Tyson in his prime–he had his opponents so psyched out before each bout, all he had to do was say "Boo". From a team point of view, the Australian cricket team–tough as nails mentally. They will sledge any team to oblivion. Why do you think they've been #1 for the last 20 years?

Taufik's just another of that same example, except in our sport. He's a "modern" player who is using not just physical skills but mental/ psychological/gamesmanship, both on and off the court. Call him cocky, arrogant or whatever. Taufik walks the walk and talks the talk. He's entitled to it. He's not there to win tournamnets, not friends... period.

Don't you guys get it? It's all psycological. He's toying with the minds of all the other players to create an aura of invincibility. To start of with, he's very self confident and isn't shy to show it. He's already got an edge before he even steps onto the court.

Look at some of the top sports personalities in the world; Mike Tyson in his prime–he had his opponents so psyched out before each bout, all he had to do was say "Boo". From a team point of view, the Australian cricket team–tough as nails mentally. They will sledge any team to oblivion. Why do you think they've been #1 for the last 20 years?

Taufik's just another of that same example, except in our sport. He's a "modern" player who is using not just physical skills but mental/ psychological/gamesmanship, both on and off the court. Call him cocky, arrogant or whatever. Taufik walks the walk and talks the talk. He's entitled to it. He's not there to win tournamnets, not friends... period.


I agree. THis is why there is tremendous pressure on Lin Dan's shoulder as he is the favorite to win. ALso, Chen Hong is known to have very bad mentality and when he plays bad, it's really bad :( However, you can also see that Peter Gade, who's mentality is better than Chen's (Much improved from before) and who does not have the presure as the favorite, created a better result vs taufik.

again, the "ranked" player(s) list is my personal opinion, and it's based *if* they are "in-form"(ie. physically ready/healthy or not, playing with pressure or not, ready mentally or not etc.)...if taufik had lost, my guess would be most likely because he wasn't 100% physically ready, he overlooked or didn't take his opponent seriously..

as i see it, the SF match between Taufik and LinDan in the recent SO have both players quite/pretty healthy, no "pressure" and playing in a neutral court=>"in-form"..and yet, taufik was able to be more concentrated in the game and thus won in straight sets...unless LinDan wasn't 100% physically ready or decided to give it less than 100% in that match(which i'm sure he didn't), i thought it was a "fair" match..

There is a fine line between admiration and obsession. I wonder what you'd come up with had Taufik been the loser.

again, the "ranked" player(s) list is my personal opinion, and it's based *if* they are "in-form"(ie. physically ready/healthy or not, playing with pressure or not, ready mentally or not etc.)...if taufik had lost, my guess would be most likely because he wasn't 100% physically ready, he overlooked or didn't take his opponent seriously..

as i see it, the SF match between Taufik and LinDan in the recent SO have both players quite/pretty healthy, no "pressure" and playing in a neutral court=>"in-form"..and yet, taufik was able to be more concentrated in the game and thus won in straight sets...unless LinDan wasn't 100% physically ready or decided to give it less than 100% in that match(which i'm sure he didn't), i thought it was a "fair" match..

I'm fully agree, SO is a neutral place with at least top 4 favorite of MS is on court (Taufik, Lin, CH, Peter), with result a little bit surprising me Taufik can Beat Lin & CH easilly, all of them can beat each other in next tournament, with the highest probabilty to win is offcourse Taufik :) , then Lindan - Peter -CH...Bravo Taufik you make u'r country Proud...

half a year away from the court?
Sounds a bit coky dont you think? Only some guy that thinks he can't be beaten will do such a thing...

Read what I wrote above.... he never said he was playing @ 70% only...
He said he was 70% ready for LA, meaning he has more work and training to do in order to win in LA, and that is an appropriate comment

He didn't mock the player or anything... why is that cocky??

By the way there was no pressure in Singapore.. Lin Dan totally got outplayed.. everyone there saw it agreed

Read what I wrote above.... he never said he was playing @ 70% only...
He said he was 70% ready for LA, meaning he has more work and training to do in order to win in LA, and that is an appropriate comment

He didn't mock the player or anything... why is that cocky??

By the way there was no pressure in Singapore.. Lin Dan totally got outplayed.. everyone there saw it agreed

C'mon... he's saying 70% of ability is all that's needed to defeat all the other world-classed players, that means, if he's only 70% ready for the WC, that would mean when he beat everyone, he was only 49% of what he would be playing at in California....SOunds abit show-off-y, dont you think?

C'mon... he's saying 70% of ability is all that's needed to defeat all the other world-classed players, that means, if he's only 70% ready for the WC, that would mean when he beat everyone, he was only 49% of what he would be playing at in California....SOunds abit show-off-y, dont you think?

He could use 100% of his ability and still be only 70% ready for WC. Now you are mixing up with the notion of using all his ability and the notion of being ready.

By the way where did you took your 49%? Your reasoning has no sense. You are free to think that Taufik is showing-off, but I think you have a preconveived idea about him and that you don't like him that's all...

OK guys i agree that Taufik rules!He's my favoutrite too.

But i think u have got to give Lin dan a break.he's the world no.1 and he's lost just 2 matches in the whole year[and one of them includes the controversial loss to Chen in AE finals ;and the second against Taufik].So what if he had A bad day and lost??
So what i am saying is it is too early to shout Taufik's the best[though even i wish it were that way].When Taufik's at his best[Like in the 2005 SO] he's almost Unbeatable.But how often does he play his best???There are a few things that separate Lin from Taufik.Let's hope Taufik continues to play that way and win many more titles.I just hope he carries this form into the WC.

But Taufik's the hottest!That's for sure:D

He could use 100% of his ability and still be only 70% ready for WC. Now you are mixing up with the notion of using all his ability and the notion of being ready.

By the way where did you took your 49%? Your reasoning has no sense. You are free to think that Taufik is showing-off, but I think you have a preconveived idea about him and that you don't like him that's all...

70% of 70% is 49%...
theres being two statements
he's using 70% of ability, and he's 70% ready, whether is right, Im too sure, Im leaning to 70% of ability... I simply combined the 2 and got my result..

OK guys i agree that Taufik rules!He's my favoutrite too.

But i think u have got to give Lin dan a break.he's the world no.1 and he's lost just 2 matches in the whole year[and one of them includes the controversial loss to Chen in AE finals ;and the second against Taufik].So what if he had A bad day and lost??
So what i am saying is it is too early to shout Taufik's the best[though even i wish it were that way].When Taufik's at his best[Like in the 2005 SO] he's almost Unbeatable.But how often does he play his best???There are a few things that separate Lin from Taufik.Let's hope Taufik continues to play that way and win many more titles.I just hope he carries this form into the WC.

But Taufik's the hottest!That's for sure:D

Should we rename you TaU_fAn?:)

Anyway, it's not just about him and Lin Dan although Lin Dan is the guy currently expected to win. Every singles player is getting a taste of how a one can use his professionalism to its fullest. Taufik, like most Indo players are tough!

OK guys i agree that Taufik rules!He's my favoutrite too.

But i think u have got to give Lin dan a break.he's the world no.1 and he's lost just 2 matches in the whole year[and one of them includes the controversial loss to Chen in AE finals ;and the second against Taufik].So what if he had A bad day and lost??
So what i am saying is it is too early to shout Taufik's the best[though even i wish it were that way].When Taufik's at his best[Like in the 2005 SO] he's almost Unbeatable.But how often does he play his best???There are a few things that separate Lin from Taufik.Let's hope Taufik continues to play that way and win many more titles.I just hope he carries this form into the WC.

But Taufik's the hottest!That's for sure:D

but according to recent progress taufik has been increasing his ability and manage his emotion which was a problem for him in the past... :D
so if i'm not mistaken, taufik has solve his problem in the past and also support by his skill and strenght, i think he can increase his rank to be number one after the WC....
well.. it's just a hope from nobody

lin dan still has many years to improve and be the best, afterall he's only 21, taufik and gade, they're 24 and 29 (?), they dont have as much time, I'm sure by the time they retire, lindan will teh the #1 with no competition from any current stars...

Just hope that Lindan will not get into any injury. It is still exciting to watch Taufik , Gade and Lin dan plays.

lin dan still has many years to improve and be the best, afterall he's only 21, taufik and gade, they're 24 and 29 (?), they dont have as much time, I'm sure by the time they retire, lindan will teh the #1 with no competition from any current stars...

Lin Dan style requires alot of physical abilities while Taufik play is more technical and I doubt Lin won't have any competion

Im just saying if all the badminton stars of today that's older than him retires he wont have real competition except from new age players (todays generation)

lin dan still has many years to improve and be the best, afterall he's only 21, taufik and gade, they're 24 and 29 (?), they dont have as much time, I'm sure by the time they retire, lindan will teh the #1 with no competition from any current stars...

Do you forget that he got trouble when Lin dan faced sony dwi kuncoro at Sudirman Cup. sony were just begin in that time after the long injured, eventough, he gave such a tight match with lin dan... so please welcome the other future king... let's the party begin after gade and taufik retired... ;)

A check reveals that both Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai will be 22 this year, Taufik Hidayat 24, Lee Chong Wei and Muhd Hafiz Hashim 23, Sonny Dwi Kuncoro 21, Chen Hong 26, and Peter Gade 29. So, Taufik is not much older than Lin Dan and by the next Olympic, he will only be 27, which could be his prime age!

Watching Taufik's matches recently also reveal that he is increasingly more mature and calm in his approach to every game. That's why he managed to beat Peter Gade (his nemesis previously) 3 concecutive times this year. Each match is tight, but, he somehow managed to prevail.

He also basically had Lin Dan under his control in the Sudirman Cup final till the point when he reached set point in the first set. Then, Lin Dan got a lucky break and win the set eventually. That's why I think I will still rate Taufik slightly above Lin Dan currently. In terms of World Ranking, Lin Dan will still be the 1 after the WC because Taufik didn't really join the European tournaments early this year due to injury problems.

I have great hopes for Sonny and he already showed that by securing the bronze in last year's Olympic, but, his injury also sets him back for most of this year and he has to start from scratch.

As for future stars, watch out for Chen Jin (19 yo, WR 48, last year's junior World Champion) and Gong Weijie (18 yo, the runner-up) from China. They have only started competing in the senior's tournament but have already shown good results. Chen already scalped victories against his seniors (Chen Hong and Xia Xuanze), while Gong won against Peter Gade in China Open last year.

Lin Dan style requires alot of physical abilities while Taufik play is more technical and I doubt Lin won't have any competion
Physical players dont last long... kinda like Xia.... :(

that thing about the 70% in the star is probably a misquote from here: http://www.intbadfed.org/Portal/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=10&ItemID=1818

If that's true what taufik said in the star about only putting in 70% than he's lying. Think about it: If taufik was only running around at 70% of his max pace and smashing with 70% of his full effort and placing the bird with 70% of his full accuracy he would be playing like a complete tool, some high school level players could beat him. What might make more sense to say is that hong only stretched taufik to 70% of his max capacity to win in that game, and taufik could have beaten chen hong even if hong was on his top game.

I'm glad taufik beat ld btw. Although I think both of them are cocky sob's, I believe taufik is the better player overall and should beat ld most of the time. Like someone said earlier if he's at the top of his game taufik is the best player in the world. :)

I'm glad taufik beat ld btw. Although I think both of them are cocky sob's, I believe taufik is the better player overall and should beat ld most of the time. Like someone said earlier if he's at the top of his game taufik is the best player in the world. :)

As I mentioned earlier, I used to dislike Taufik even though I am an Indonesian myself. Yes, no doubt he is certainly gifted with the best skills among all the young players few years ago and he has shown his credentials much earlier than Lin Dan, ie: final of All England when he was 17, semi-final of WC when he was 20, etc. However, it was his cocky attitude and bad temper on and off the field that somehow make him a less complete and likable player, compared to lets say Hendrawan.

His conflicts with PBSI further resulted in his loss of form in recent years, till before Olympic last year. It was the victory at Athens that somehow transformed him into a more matured and IMHO better player! I agree that at the top of his game, nobody (including Lin Dan) can beat him!

As to Lin Dan, yes, he's cocky too and his immaturity + overconfidence led to his humiliation in the first round of the Olympic last year. I think over this 2 years, we have seen that Lin Dan could crack under great pressure.

with taufik's smoking & drinking habit, it's very amazing that he can beat gade, lindan & chen hong.

yes, he is cocky. i second badMania comment. :)

with taufik's smoking & drinking habit, it's very amazing that he can beat gade, lindan & chen hong.

yes, he is cocky. i second badMania comment. :)

I am surprised that Taufit smokes. If he does, then where does he get the stamina. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide which robs oxygen from his body. :confused:

we had dinner + durian at geylang (singapore) just few months before the olympic.

within 2 hours, we counted that he smoked around 1/2 pack.

we had dinner + durian at geylang (singapore) just few months before the olympic.

within 2 hours, we counted that he smoked around 1/2 pack.

If what you say is true, then Taufit's teeth will have stains and his mouth will be foul-smelling. Also this is his weakness-lack of stamina. There is no way a half pack/2 hrs smoker will have the stamina for energy-sapping games. I am surprised his opponents have not jumped on this weakness. :confused:

I am surprised that Taufit smokes. If he does, then where does he get the stamina. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide which robs oxygen from his body. :confused:We can see how tired he looks when he's playing. His facial expression looks almost like he's about to faint.

oh well, that's the truth.

that's why i said he is amazing.

oh well, that's the truth.

that's why i said he is amazing.Do you know any other professional players who smoke?

I see some people who smoke in my badminton club and they are usually the people who get tired REALLY fast.

I don't see why people would want to smoke. It is gross and disgusting. :rolleyes:

There's a rumor claiming that Gade is a big smoker too.

Anyways, I know some people who smoke but still had a very good cardio maybe Taufik is one of them.

There's a rumor claiming that Gade is a big smoker too.

Anyways, I know some people who smoke but still had a very good cardio maybe Taufik is one of them.Lol I think all players who smoke should get banned. Lol. Maybe the tobbaco has some kind of effect on their play. :eek:

we had dinner + durian at geylang (singapore) just few months before the olympic.

within 2 hours, we counted that he smoked around 1/2 pack.

next time you have dinner with him, can i be there too?:D
i still can't believe that he really smoke:confused:

dave,

limpele, eng hian & sigit are smokers as well.

dave,

limpele, eng hian & sigit are smokers as well.
no wonder these players have the stoner's eyes haha :p

if i m not wrong most of the indonesians players smoke... :o

If what you say is true, then Taufit's teeth will have stains and his mouth will be foul-smelling. Also this is his weakness-lack of stamina. There is no way a half pack/2 hrs smoker will have the stamina for energy-sapping games. I am surprised his opponents have not jumped on this weakness. :confused:

im not condoning smoking......... but your statement just shows how little you have seen and what you know.


and your "I am surprised his opponents have not jumped on this weakness. :confused: " is alot easier said then done.......... coz he doesnt have fitness problems when he trains and prepares proper.

if taufik really had this weakness, its would really be funny that Peter Gade, Lin Dan, nor Chen Hong werent able to jump taufik in the just concluded singapore open.


cheers

8man

i heard that the effects of smoking such as lack in stamina will only surface after many yrs.. so maybe taufik looks fit right now but who noes wat will happen as the years go by??

i heard that the effects of smoking such as lack in stamina will only surface after many yrs.. so maybe taufik looks fit right now but who noes wat will happen as the years go by??

Maybe it is already showing now, he was handed a duck by Lee CW today....hahahahaa :)

i heard that the effects of smoking such as lack in stamina will only surface after many yrs.. so maybe taufik looks fit right now but who noes wat will happen as the years go by??


i personally know a 65 year old specimen who would put most teenagers / 20's / 30's and others to shame. and yes, especially in badminton.

yes smoking is bad for you......... but not smoking is not a subsitute for exercise.


8man

frankly im impressed. arguably the best singles player in the world smokes more than 3 packs a day and is a habitual drinker as well. for those of you who don't know even if you've only been smoking a few years you will already be experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, constriction of blood vessels, weight loss, and an increase in coughs and chest infections. When smokers induce additional drugs such as alchohal these symptoms tend to worsen, although severity of the symptoms depend on the individual.
In spite of these things taufik is vastly more in shape than the average person and one would be a fool to believe he's about to faint every time he steps on court. If you watch his games does his level of play decline with the progression of the match more than other top ranked players?
earlier when i said i was impressed with taufik its not because he smokes and drinks, but its because of the enormity of talent he posesses. as others have said he was already playing at an international level when he was 16, and today he's a chain smoker and he drinks yet he is probably the best player in the world. i dont know if a more naturally gifted ms player has ever lived.

muct be his performance level, and his fitness, it evens out the nicotine...:D

The thing is, I find Taufik's games are usually at a slower pace than average. for example, compare any game with Xia in it to a taufik game and you will see the difference. Maybe that's y he appears to have good stamina.

Might I also add that this does not only make Taufik look bad, but it makes badminton look bad alltogether. The best players in the world are smokers...now badminton maybe really looked upon as a wussy sport.

The thing is, I find Taufik's games are usually at a slower pace than average. for example, compare any game with Xia in it to a taufik game and you will see the difference. Maybe that's y he appears to have good stamina.

Might I also add that this does not only make Taufik look bad, but it makes badminton look bad alltogether. The best players in the world are smokers...now badminton maybe really looked upon as a wussy sport.

yes, but no one thats not into badminton knows that, if you go ask any person that jsut got into badminton, Ill bet Lin DAn is the first guy the'll know, not only is it an easy name to remember but he is a champion..

according to worldbadminton.net taufik was suffering from a left rib injury -the real reason for his performance??

according to worldbadminton.net taufik was suffering from a left rib injury -the real reason for his performance??

maybe... because i simply cannot bring myself to believe that lcw could thrash him in the second set..

It's terrible. I wonder if the hurt will affect his performance in World Championships.

This is what i was talking about.This is why Lin Dan deserves to be no.1.he wins titles after titles.Taufik plays great,wins one and does terrible in the next.

last year also he won the Indonesian open playing real good and then fared really bad in the copenhagen masters.

Lindan plays 9 tournaments to become rank #1

Taufik plays 5 tournaments to become rank #5

This is what i was talking about.This is why Lin Dan deserves to be no.1.he wins titles after titles.Taufik plays great,wins one and does terrible in the next.

last year also he won the Indonesian open playing real good and then fared really bad in the copenhagen masters.
Taufik wins like a man and lose like a man~
Even though he was injured, he went in and take the beating. Thats what makes him such a great player~
Unlike Chen Hong who just withdraw and disappoints all his fans

anybody got a video of Taufik/Lin Dan QF match in Singapore Open 2005?

Maybe it is already showing now, he was handed a duck by Lee CW today....hahahahaa :)

may be because he was too tired by the singapore open and not b'cos he smoke...