Lin Dan Pulls Out of Thailand Open

[tehsham]

Attached an article from The Star today:

Chinese ace Lin Dan pulls out of Thailand Open
By RAJES PAUL

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's world number one men’s singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei's hope of exacting revenge against China's Lin Dan in the Thailand Open was dashed when the Chinese pulled out of the championships.
Tomorrow, Chong Wei begins his campaign in the US$80,000 Thailand Open badminton championships after crashing out at the last hurdle in the Macau Open, which ended on Sunday.
Chong Wei lost to Lin Dan, the world No. 2, 18-21, 21-18, 18-21 in a closely contested men's singles final. It was their third consecutive final showdown within a month.
In June, Chong Wei beat Lin Dan to win the Malaysia Open in Kuching. A week later Lin Dan triumphed at the Taiwan Open.
To date, both have played each other seven times.
Besides the last three consecutive final encounters this year, Chong Wei had beaten Lin Dan in last year's Malaysian Open but suffered defeats at the 2004 Thomas Cup Finals qualifying round, 2005 Hong Kong Open and 2006 All-England.
Chong Wei is aiming to do well in the Thailand Open to put himself in good stead for the World Championships, scheduled to be held in Madrid from Sept 18-24.
On his narrow loss to Lin Dan last Sunday, Chong Wei said: “I used to get beaten by Lin Dan easily. Now, I am able to make him sweat for points. I may not be on par with him yet but I am catching up.
“I can only promise to give another good showing if I do meet him again.”
With Lin Dan out, Chong Wei's main challenger will be world No.3 Peter Gade-Christensen of Denmark. The Dane is drawn in the bottom half and his toughest opponents are Chen Jin of China and Malaysia's Hafiz Hashim.
Chong Wei is in the top half of the draw and meets China's dangerous upcoming start Chen Yu in the second round. The Chinese has a reputation of hitting top form when up against a higher ranked player.
If Chong Wei clears this hurdle, he is expected to take on South Korean Lee Hyun-il in the quarter-finals.
And if Chong Wei gets through, his semi-final opponent could be China's Chen Hong or Bao Chunlai.

[tehsham]

So the battle of LCW n LD IV is postponed.....

[cooler]

maybe LD want to rest up and avoid injury risk going into 2006 WC

[jug8man]

maybe LD want to rest up and avoid injury risk going into 2006 WC

TOUCHWOOD!!! cooler, saying stuff like this is taboo / bad luck in some places / culture. It like an unintentional curse.

The Borneon BaddyNut

P.S. : No I'm not a headhunter :p

[Simp84]

Maybe LD knows he will meet LCW again in final...
So to avoid that he skip it to make LCW more fustrated... its all mind game!!

Or another theory is.. he isn't worried about LCW at all and has nothing against him.. and probably only looking forward to beat Taufik in major event:)

[taneepak]

I think Lin Dan is very smart, strategy-wise. Resting in between tournaments is often overlooked as a good strategy. Skipping a lowly 3-star tournament makes a lot of sense. Strategy-wise it makes sense to be at your peak at the right time and for the right tournaments. Playing in as many tournament as there are weeks in a year is poor strategy-how in the world can you be at your peak all the time?

[wynn000]

thailand open got website or not??

[X Ball]

Malaysians are launching an attack on the Thai Open with a team of all their top players. It seems like they want to win this one to build confidence for the World Championship.

Good move I reckon !

[jug8man]

About sending players to neighbouring countries tournaments
----------------------------------------------------------

It's not only good economics & sports development to send a large contingent consisting a mix of the best and up and coming players to tournaments at our neighbouring countries,...... it's also good display of support to better international ties and relationships.

strangely, it was funny that not so many of them supported our Malaysian Open.

The Borneon BaddyNut

[Jessica]

Ha...ha...Lee Chong Wei will attend the Thailand Open again..He is really a superman hor...Won't be tired one.....I think maybe LD just want to have some rest...Hope LCW can win...

[cao ci dan]

emm...i think it's gonna be Chen Jin vs. Lee Chong Wei in final....

[Devil's Advocat]

Without LD, there aint any competition for LCW. All bets are off.:crying:

[indra]

Ha...ha...Lee Chong Wei will attend the Thailand Open again..He is really a superman hor...Won't be tired one.....I think maybe LD just want to have some rest...Hope LCW can win...

LCW...he should emerge as the winner...no serious challenger...

[tehsham]

Devil's Advocat and Indra...u can brush off PG or CJ just like that..they are serious contender too esp PG who shud be very fresh

[peace]

Is taufik participating in Thailand open?

Final, hmm could be PG vs LCW or CJ vs LCW:rolleyes:

[hcyong]

About sending players to neighbouring countries tournaments
----------------------------------------------------------

It's not only good economics & sports development to send a large contingent consisting a mix of the best and up and coming players to tournaments at our neighbouring countries,...... it's also good display of support to better international ties and relationships.

strangely, it was funny that not so many of them supported our Malaysian Open.

The Borneon BaddyNut

Could be because the Malaysian Open attracted bigger names, so many Thais can find it hard to even be in the qualifying list.

[Morten]

well last time PG and LCW met gade won. Furthermore Chen yu beated LCW in indonesia open so to claim he easily will win is an unserious statement. I too believe LCW is a favourite but actually I see a lot of contenders for the title now that LD are gone, specially PG and Chen Jin

[ants]

There will be more contenders coming up.

[cooler]

TOUCHWOOD!!! cooler, saying stuff like this is taboo / bad luck in some places / culture. It like an unintentional curse.

The Borneon BaddyNut

P.S. : No I'm not a headhunter :p
my motto is: if he/she doesn't believe it, it doesn't affect them:p

i touch teflon and bad things bounce off me:)

[cooler]

I think Lin Dan is very smart, strategy-wise. Resting in between tournaments is often overlooked as a good strategy. Skipping a lowly 3-star tournament makes a lot of sense. Strategy-wise it makes sense to be at your peak at the right time and for the right tournaments. Playing in as many tournament as there are weeks in a year is poor strategy-how in the world can you be at your peak all the time?
LD is just a lil red soldier, LYB and his committee make the call:rolleyes:

[wynn000]

fu hai feng and chai yun got join Thailand Open or not??

[wynn000]

any china men double join thailand open ??

[Darth Andrianus]

Maybe LD knows he will meet LCW again in final...
So to avoid that he skip it to make LCW more fustrated... its all mind game!!

Or another theory is.. he isn't worried about LCW at all and has nothing against him.. and probably only looking forward to beat Taufik in major event:)

I think that at this moment, LD is more worried about LCW than TH. Now we all know that while TH is a very good player, he hasn't been great this year. If he is consistently good, he can easily be at the top 7 of the world. But it would take something really exceptional for him to get to top 3.

[jiayou]

as you know it is very very tired if you continously play in 3-4 tournament, it is better to skip to low star tournament.... and preparing for Big Tournament.

Although they all have good condition & well trained. But take some rest is always wise & clever for Big Event. " just my opinion" :-)

[taneepak]

I think that at this moment, LD is more worried about LCW than TH. Now we all know that while TH is a very good player, he hasn't been great this year. If he is consistently good, he can easily be at the top 7 of the world. But it would take something really exceptional for him to get to top 3.

I believe TH is on the decline and is unlikely to come back to the top. The reason is that he has reached the very top where no man has ever reached or likely to reach-Olympics Gold and World Champion, one after another consecutively. It is a matter of the mind-he has nothing to prove anymore and he can never have the motivation he once had before winning the double crown. It is LD and LCW who are greatly motivated, and also very "hungry", for glories, with the 2008 Olympics and the following world championship as their goal. But 2008 is still a long way off. I hope both LD and LCW don't get burned out before then, or be dethroned by some new, young pretenders to the throne.

[X Ball]

I believe TH is on the decline and is unlikely to come back to the top. The reason is that he has reached the very top where no man has ever reached or likely to reach-Olympics Gold and World Champion, one after another consecutively. It is a matter of the mind-he has nothing to prove anymore and he can never have the motivation he once had before winning the double crown. It is LD and LCW who are greatly motivated, and also very "hungry", for glories, with the 2008 Olympics and the following world championship as their goal. But 2008 is still a long way off. I hope both LD and LCW don't get burned out before then, or be dethroned by some new, young pretenders to the throne.

Between the two of them, they will win a lot of tournaments in the future, and perhaps PG too (but I don't know how long he would be up before calling it a day). These 3 are class acts.

At the moment, nobody else comes close. Hafiz would still put in a presence or two but he has problematic knees.

BCL, Chen Yu, Lee Hyun II, Simon Santoso may look in now and then but I do not rate them highly.

[ants]

I think Indonesia better buck up their younger players. Simon and Sony better improve.

[TKG2609]

sony also pulls out ... get injured ...

[hcpoirot]

Somehow, LYB pulling out lots of China PLayers from Thailand Open.

Lin Dan, Zhang Ning, Wang Lin, Cai/Fu, Zheng/GuoZD, Gao/Huang and Zheng/Yu from Thailand Open. I wonder why?

LD and ZN maybe exhausted cause they play for MVP Cup and Macau Open. Specially LD, who play 8 matches in 10 days or so. But for the others???

[EastDevil]

I think Indonesia better buck up their younger players. Simon and Sony better improve.

I suspect Indonesia have serious issues with their management at PSBI. With the kind of talents they have, the success rate isn't very efficient.

[EastDevil]

Somehow, LYB pulling out lots of China PLayers from Thailand Open.

Lin Dan, Zhang Ning, Wang Lin, Cai/Fu, Zheng/GuoZD, Gao/Huang and Zheng/Yu from Thailand Open. I wonder why?

LD and ZN maybe exhausted cause they play for MVP Cup and Macau Open. Specially LD, who play 8 matches in 10 days or so. But for the others???

The China players have been competing a lot the past few months with local tournaments in addition to the international circuit. They need some rest probably.

Anyway, its also likely to be because they will be going for their training camp very soon. So I guess they want to avoid fatigue or potential injury.

[taneepak]

I suspect Indonesia have serious issues with their management at PSBI. With the kind of talents they have, the success rate isn't very efficient.

Yes, Indonesia, like TH, is on the decline, which first started after the financial crisis in 1998/1999. But I think the god-like status treatment given to TH does not help the new blood, because young and upcoming players have from day one aspired to be like TH but, and here is the punch, never trying to dethrone him. That is why, Simon, Sony, and the others do not have the "arrogance" or the audacity of trying to topple TH and go one better. Compare these young Indonesians to the young arrogant, cocky, and supremely confident Lin Dan when he was chasing the coattails of Chen Hong.
PSBI must demystify the godly TH so that the new blood will want to really beat him, and beat him badly.

[Wizbit]

Surely Lee Chong Wei needs a rest soon. He's been in great form, but I worry if it'll hold out till the World Champs and the rest of the year.

Zhang Ning looks burned out, she defintely needs a rest. Lin Dan looks fine to carry on actually, but maybe [they] don't want to risk any injury. Xie Xing Fang also has not been in the best form, unless she is carrying an injury, I'd like to see her play more and give Zhang Ning a rest. China's third singles contenders look good on paper; Jiang Yan Jiao, Lu Lan, Wang Lin and Zhu Lin, but do anyone of them have it in them to challenge the top?

Peter Gade played well at start of the new scoring system, but has been absent for a while.

Taufik...is Taufik. He's not at his best because it looks like he is not playing enough, and secondly doesn't seem to have the motivation. In fact he already made his come back for the Olympics and World Championships, he was in a slump prior to that. Might be doubtful for him to play the WC, and even if he does, coupled with the new scoring system, the odds say that he won't win it again this year.

I would actually fancy someone like Lee Hyun Il or Chen Jin to be a serious threat , and previously Bao Chun Lai, but as we have seen, he can't escape from Lin Dan's shadow.

Maybe this should go in the WC thread

[Wizbit]

But how can you dethrone him? It's not only because of how the Government and country portrays/idolise him, but also his fellow player's respect for him as a player. Everyone knows Taufik now is a different Taufik, who would feel good beating a man when he is already down.

Chen Hong on the other hand was more or less on top of his game when Lin Dan came knocking on his door. But Chen can't be compared to Taufik.

I don't think the target of toppling Taufik is ever possible. They don't want another taufik replacement, what they want is a Lin Dan beater, or a world champion contender.



Yes, Indonesia, like TH, is on the decline, which first started after the financial crisis in 1998/1999. But I think the god-like status treatment given to TH does not help the new blood, because young and upcoming players have from day one aspired to be like TH but, and here is the punch, never trying to dethrone him. That is why, Simon, Sony, and the others do not have the "arrogance" or the audacity of trying to topple TH and go one better. Compare these young Indonesians to the young arrogant, cocky, and supremely confident Lin Dan when he was chasing the coattails of Chen Hong.
PSBI must demystify the godly TH so that the new blood will want to really beat him, and beat him badly.

[X Ball]

I think after Taufik, there will be others --- just like after Hartono, there was Swie King, etc. But the current crop is not good enough. Malaysia also went without anyone of substance for a while. China is the only country with top players all the time (I dare not name the players in case I miss someone).

New Blood does not come along all the time, these days it needs nurturing with national plans, etc. Sport has become a science. The Malaysian team is now assisted by incentive programs, professional coaches, skills experts, sports psychologists, physical trainers, etc. I think Indonesia might be asking the big question soon : "Why are WE Failing?". I remember this question being asked by Malaysians not too long ago. I think LCW and the men's doubles are a result of a comprehensive program to build a good team and it might be working.

Project 2010 will bring along new 'stocks' --- I noticed some good young players coming along well under Rashid. This project will definitely put Malaysia on a strong foothold in badminton.

As I pointed earlier, Malaysia is now embarking on being world no. 1's in badminton --- just look at the contingent it is sending to the Thai Open.
I will be surprised if we don't win big in Thailand.

[badMania]

I think after Taufik, there will be others --- just like after Hartono, there was Swie King, etc. But the current crop is not good enough. Malaysia also went without anyone of substance for a while. China is the only country with top players all the time (I dare not name the players in case I miss someone).


Indonesia starts to see some light in terms of upcoming young players. Tommy Sugiarto is one of them...he has performed relatively well (given his inexperience) in the past few satellites and grand prix events. We will definitely hear more from him.

[jug8man]

my motto is: if he/she doesn't believe it, it doesn't affect them:p

i touch teflon and bad things bounce off me:)

What about graphite / titanium mesh / vectran :rolleyes: ?

Those work as well ??? :p :D

[EastDevil]

I think after Taufik, there will be others --- just like after Hartono, there was Swie King, etc. But the current crop is not good enough. Malaysia also went without anyone of substance for a while. China is the only country with top players all the time (I dare not name the players in case I miss someone).

New Blood does not come along all the time, these days it needs nurturing with national plans, etc. Sport has become a science. The Malaysian team is now assisted by incentive programs, professional coaches, skills experts, sports psychologists, physical trainers, etc. I think Indonesia might be asking the big question soon : "Why are WE Failing?". I remember this question being asked by Malaysians not too long ago. I think LCW and the men's doubles are a result of a comprehensive program to build a good team and it might be working.

Project 2010 will bring along new 'stocks' --- I noticed some good young players coming along well under Rashid. This project will definitely put Malaysia on a strong foothold in badminton.

As I pointed earlier, Malaysia is now embarking on being world no. 1's in badminton --- just look at the contingent it is sending to the Thai Open.
I will be surprised if we don't win big in Thailand.

Talent is becoming harder to find in China as well. Besides Lin Dan, the other players does not seem very convincing as the next big one. The same problem goes with the women's singles squad as well.

It could be the good life in China where more people prefer other careers rather than a lifetime in a "concentration" camp where you could be easily ditched if you're not tip-top.
:D

[X Ball]

Talent is becoming harder to find in China as well. Besides Lin Dan, the other players does not seem very convincing as the next big one. The same problem goes with the women's singles squad as well.

It could be the good life in China where more people prefer other careers rather than a lifetime in a "concentration" camp where you could be easily ditched if you're not tip-top.
:D


I was referring to the previous players (Yang, Zhang, the Tang Hu, and all the others) --- they seem to backup with these players forever. Sure, I agree with you, it must be hard for the players to reach there.