I watch almost all matches shown on bw.tv. Therfore I have seen so many games from LCW. He can toy around with almost all. But when it comes to an match with ld or cl he just gets into this mental block. Partly you see him trying to play positively, but he can't maintain this attitude... And I FEAR he will never get past this block against cl and ld anymore. The other thing is the play. How I missed ld!! He makes it look so easy, so aesthetically. It is magic. The same like Roger Federer in tennis. These players are one of a kind. Even when getting older. Cl and LCW look like workers while ld just glides over the court. Lhi looks simular, but ld s play it just better... I really hope we will get to see more matches of ld vs LCW vs cl on the way to Rio 16
Point taken, but you can be very sure Lin Dan won't let boredom affect him if it's a match he wants to win.
Don't be surprise if Chen Long beat Lin Dan in the final. Chen Long has been playing well lately and if you see the latest matches against Chong Wei and Son Wanho, Chen Long has shown his mature side and able to adapt Son Wanho's style and beat him in the Individual event(after CL lost to him in Team event).
Am i the only one who thinks Lin Dan version 2014 is the most difficult version than his earlier versions to beat? Coming to JOJ, i dont think he stands any chance when they face each other next time. I have been repeatedly watching Lin Dan's matches in last few months, and while everyone, including the commentators calls him rusty, i think he is the most complete player now in every department. Badminton is not always about attack. Its how you utilize you resources over a period of match or over a period of a particular tournament. I dont think any player comes even near to Lin Dan in doing that! Age + experience + maturity + stable head + ability to change gears whenever needed + delivering when it matters the most = Lin Dan
I won't rule it out, in terms of fitness and stamina, Chen Long is superior, plus what you say about CL playing better in the individual event so far. Besides, Lin Dan's pronenes to error may still be bugging him. Looking forward to a great final,hopefully an epic battle tomorrow.
Well to start off, considering both were experiencing the following: 1. Incorrect shuttle speed? maybe ( too fast as evidenced by players ever since day 1 losing so much points as the shuttle went mostly long.) 2. Wild drift inside the stadium 3. Scattered stadium lighting as stated by the commentator. 4. Unforced errors from both It seemed like Lin Dan was really going for it compared to lcw despite the factors stated above. Lin Dan's seemed to push through with his strengths in terms of the net, his defense and his killer smashes all of which were evident in game. For Lee, seeing how he was trying to prevent the shuttle from going out too much as he kept lifting or clearing the shuttle short to lin dan's forehand so many times. Lee's strong with flat exchanges which he had success against lin dan but was futile since lee lost so many opportunities in the rearcourt since he was standing too close to the net. Also no urgency each time LD throws a clear to Lee's forehand, 80% of the time he just chasse towards the forehand corner and clears it, which in my opinion is strange since lcw is usually fast enough to get behind the shuttle and thunder down a smash or a deceptive drop. On to my next point, Lee being Lee it was frustrating to see Lee not daring to play the lines like how he usually plays. His margin for error was too big. Conclusion: Playing to win vs playing not to lose.
Not bad at all, Chen Long is playing very well to dispose of Wei Nan. Looks like Chen Long will give Lin Dan a run for his money in the final.
I don't know about this but it seems CL has a psychological block against LD even if CL clearly can win. I dunno badminton is so strange. Also quoting from one of the top players, forgot who, saying that most of the seeded players are all almost equal skill wise, it usually is another factor that decides who wins.
