Lin Dan says after the wedding on 23rd Sep, he will go for a 10 over days honeymoon overseas,destination unspecified as yet, bringing along his parents(!) - what a filial son and daughter-in-law ! Looks like Lin Dan is taking a few months break from badminton as he himself has said as much, most probably we won't see him competing in Oct as well, he himself didn't indicate when he's resuming competition. Will he play in the Superseries Final considering he's ranked no.9 currently in the OSIM SS Ranking list with only the top 8 qualified? As reported, Bao Chunlai,Chen Jin and Ren Quan (actor) are the best men while Li Xuerui, Wang Yihan and an unknown female friend of XXF's are the bridesmaids, which explains why CJ,LXR and WYH are out of the JPN Open, but Chen Long is in as he somehow wasn't invited to be one of the best men - maybe CL is needed to compete with LCW. Taufik apologised in advance for not being able to attend LD's wedding as he has other engagements in Japan following the tournament for which he's requested Bao CL to convey his best wishes to the couple. Lee CW confirmed his attendance saying he would rush over immediately after the JPN Open. Peter Gade hasn't spoken yet. It should be very interesting to watch how LD will cope when he comes back after a long break (for a top athlete) on top of his anticipated waning motivation -what else is there to play for? The next Olympics, a quadrennial event, is too far off to seriously talk about it now so soon after the London Olympics, too many things can happen along the way. During this period of Lin Dan's absence, I believe LCW is poised to regain his no.1 spot in the world ranking unless Chen Long or someone else can surprise and prove otherwise which I confidently doubt so. In the ongoing China Badminton Super League, LCW showed superb form disposing of all his opponents in summary fashion in the four rounds played so far whereas LD was pushed hard by promising youngster Xue Song in two fighting sets and stretched to three by Wang Zengming for the first time;even more surprising was Taufik's loss at the hands of another youngster Dong Shuai in three sets. As an aside,even LXR, who together with Lin Dan has to attend many media events and celebrations resulting in their jadedness and lack of practice, was unexpectedly beaten by ex-World Champion but out of the CHN National Team,Lu Lan, in three sets in the last of which LXR was leading until 19-all before losing it despite Lu Lan being troubled around the mid-game interval by a back muscle pull.
What a true friend lin dan and lee chong wei is. Hope when next year LCW gets married, lin dan and xxf will also come as well
Well,he's asked this question many times and each time he answered no. One thing for sure,he is taking a long break - marriage, honeymoon, etc - and he didn't say when he is resuming training and competitive badminton. To me, I'm quite certain he is at least in semi-retirement mood and mode and with declining motivation, I daresay he won't be the same again for better or for worse (more likely the latter). I'd be more than happy if he doesn't give too many tournaments a miss and wins the occasional title; the only exception will be team championships where he will be more serious and committed as part of doing national duty where he cannot afford to let his country down. As far as I know, I think he is the only person who dares to tell his association and coaches to specially structure a training program suitable for him with clear goals set otherwise badminton will be a burden to him, imagine that, and get away with it! Actually I'm saying this not to criticise him - he is fully entitled to and well-deserved the long break for all that he has done and achieved. Just that as an ardent fan of his I can't help but wish that at age 29 he has a few more good years to go and continue delighting us with his wonderful badminton; hopefully he doesn't suddenly decide to retire soon. That said, if he were already past 30 by a couple of years, I would have thought it a great idea to retire now while he is still at the top. Whatever it is, I have to admit he can afford the luxury of slowing down and taking things easy for all that he's already attained to be hailed indisputably and unarguably as the Greatest of All Time. As it is his record is impossible to break for at least the next 10 to 12 years, not so much for the double Olympic golds but more so for the 5 successive biennial Thomas Cup victories which alone requires a decade to equal. Moreover, completing the Grand Slam by gaining all the major titles itself constitutes, safe to say, an unassailable record for a long time to come. What more can I say.
Well,he's asked this question many times and each time he answered no. One thing for sure,he is taking a long break - marriage, honeymoon, etc - and he didn't say when he is resuming training and competitive badminton. To me, I'm quite certain he is at least in semi-retirement mood and mode and with declining motivation, I daresay he won't be the same again for better or for worse (more likely the latter). I'd be more than happy if he doesn't give too many tournaments a miss and wins the occasional title; the only exception will be team championships where he will be more serious and committed as part of doing national duty where he cannot afford to let his country down. As far as I know, I think he is the only person who dares to tell his association and coaches to specially structure a training program suitable for him with clear goals set otherwise badminton will be a burden to him, imagine that, and get away with it! Actually I'm saying this not to criticise him - he is fully entitled to and well-deserved the long break for all that he has done and achieved. Just that as an ardent fan of his I can't help but wish that at age 29 he has a few more good years to go and continue delighting us with his wonderful badminton; hopefully he doesn't suddenly decide to retire soon. That said, if he were already past 30 by a couple of years, I would have thought it a great idea to retire now while he is still at the top. Whatever it is, I have to admit he can afford the luxury of slowing down and taking things easy for all that he's already attained to be hailed indisputably and unarguably as the Greatest of All Time. As it is his record is impossible to break for at least the next 10 to 12 years, not so much for the double Olympic golds but more so for the 5 successive biennial Thomas Cup victories which alone requires a decade to equal. Moreover, completing the Grand Slam by gaining all the major titles itself constitutes, safe to say, an unassailable record for a long time to come. What more can I say.
Today is Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang's Big Day, their wedding! My heartiest congratulations and best wishes for this wonderful couple. May they enjoy marital bliss and be blessed with everlasting happiness.
Looks like LD likes line dance and the fiery Spanish numbers. This is great for his relaxation but I hope he will not take it too seriously and change his mind to take up Sport Dance. However his new wife must be able to match him as a dance couple otherwise it is no deal. Oleh ...
More photos on Lin Dan's wedding, thanks to BCer KZ for the link. http://ent.163.com/photoview/00AJ0003/481062.html#p=8C5JTMAK00AJ0003 Amusingly, in one of the photos there was a banner at the carpark to the wedding hall that says, in Chinese, Lin Dan VS Xie Xinfang ! - 'versus' not 'and' ? Hahaha, wedding match or badminton match?!
While we've no news yet of when Lin Dan will resume international competition, it was reported that he actually played in the CBSL four days(!) after his wedding presumably to fulfil his obligations to his Bayi team and CBSL much to the delight of the spectators who lapped it all up appreciatively. In that match against a young hopeful Zhu Siyuan which went to three sets, Lin Dan winning the 1st 21-17 (from behind) and losing the 2nd 16-21 unexpectedly, he was trailing 11-15 in the decider when all of a sudden almost staring defeat in the face he pulled himself up and romped home with a streak of 10 straight points to seal it off! Apparently out of practice and not in the best mood to play, he was still able to muster his reserves to save himself from a sensational loss which must have caused much consternation and instilled awe in the upstart Zhu Siyuan whom I suspected at one point the thought of possible instant fame must have flashed across his mind only to be shattered. If only we could watch it live without knowing the final outcome, esp the 3rd set how he staved off near certain defeat with that stunning run of points! Without doubt the rubber set was the most exciting and dramatic with several thrilling rallies played that kept the crowd cheering with approval for both players. Be entertained, enjoy it http://www.badmintonlink.com/Watch-Videos/2012_CBSL_MSR6_Lin_Dan_vs_Zhu_Siyuan better still if you understand the Mandarin commentaries.
Hong Kong singer Karen Mok, sat next to Xie Xin Fang in support of LD vs LCW match during the 2012 Olympics.
Oh yeah, Lin Dan just turns 29 today ! Only 29, how can he retire? Give us a few more good years and yes he can make it enjoyable without having to win everything but perform when it matters. I agree he can afford to slow down, in effect resting on his laurels as nobody else is qualified to, put his family first, spend a bit more time on other interests, and suchlike but yet continue to delight us with his quintessential badminton occasionally - that's all I ask of him now. May I make bold to say Lin Dan not only belongs to his near and dear ones, nor just duty-bound to serve his country for making what he is today but, equally so, he belongs to the badminton world at large for being what he is,particularly as the greatest player of all time. Happy Birthday, Lin Dan !
Can you believe it? Very amusing, got to see to believe it http://www.badmintonlink.com/Watch-Videos/2012_CBSL_R10_Lin_Dan_and_Li_Xuerui_play_Mixed_Double Nope,you're not seeing things.That's right, Lin Dan and Li Xuerui partnering to play mixed doubles in the China Badminton Super League and for the very first time in their lives, I assume! So much about Lin Dan having no more peaks to conquer or just wanting to enjoy badminton and trying something new ?! Apparently, LXR looks more at home as she is used to playing doubles, WD not XD though, whereas Lin Dan is the awkward one as I'm pretty certain it's his maiden experience in XD or doubles play for that matter. For sure the pair still has a long way to go in developing their common understanding that is so essential for playing doubles well. The outcome? You guessed it, no fairy-tale beginning or happy ending - they lost by the identical score of 21-19, oops. Hmm, it's not an exhibition match, you know.Wonder why their team Bayi allowed it. Perhaps the team results are already known and their Bayi Team has advanced to the next stage of the competition, so this is merely to give the crowd and TV viewers a huge surprise, a treat of pure fun and entertainment, that's all. If not...I just cannot think of any other reason. An afterthought: The moral of the story is, it's not a matter of simply putting the two best players of the moment together and sparks will fly naturally, in the badminton sense, I mean. Whatever, a very pleasant surprise to me, indeed. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope you do too.
