Well, give them a chance, they haven't played together in a long time and I suspect haven't trained together either.
Dismal results so far for Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong. Skimmed through what tournaments are coming for Olympic qualification and frankly I don't seem them going through... especially since the soonest they can join S500+ (assuming they get their act together soon) seems to be either the European leg or the CHN/HKG ones.
Seems like there's no hope for this pair, it's only super 100 event and they can't even get to the QF.
I'm not sure about that. It is true that they can't play the Japan Open or Thailand but if they can play well at the U.S. Open and the Russian Open, they should still be able to come up with enough points that, when doubled, will give them a notional ranking high enough to play the Korea Open, at least, though likely not China. They cannot play Hyderabad but their post-Canada Open notional points would have been enough to get them onto the qualifying list so they still might squeak by for the Akita Masters. That won't help them for the China Open, though.
Exactly. Participating in KOR isn't even a done deal and depends on them "stepping up" which they currently are not able to do at S300 and S100 level. Given that top players are likely to play S500+ for Olympic qualification, it's gonna get tough getting into those tournaments when you're outside the top 30 or something. For 2 doubles pairs to get into Tokyo 2020, they must both be in top 16 right? Such a long way till there!! Path looks bright for Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baek Cheol to qualify though.
For 2 doubles pairs to qualify, they must both be in the Top8. Top16 applies only to singles. It's a bullshit rule imop, but that's how it is
Well it's a battle to be the top KOR pair then. I don't see 2 KOR pairs qualifying for Tokyo if the rule is top 8. Most likely KSH/SBC.
Unfortunately I don't see how they will get back to their best form... Both are older, both propably don't train as intensive as when national players, the game has developed, LYD doesn't really have that great weapon, he lost parts of his counterattack and preparing the attack. Ofc they do not play together again for a long time but you can't say LYD was out. He played with KKJ. Maybe YYS needs more match practice. But overall even if they could play all (big) tournaments and had an good ranking I don't think they can perform consistently and make at least QF+ results! Maybe there is also pressure as both know where they have been and don't get back to their expected level... But let's see, their opponents have not been nobodys. It's a new partner for Lee from the Lee/Lee combo that were top 10. Overall Ko / Shin s chances are way better and deservingly so as I saw a development esp in Ko. They looked faster and more fired up and I also like their playing style more (personal opinion)... Deceptions, variation, rotation, fast drive game etc.
It seems to me that the problem lies mainly with LYD. His form has declined significantly and more so recently. One of the main reasons his partnership with YYS was so good previously was his ability to dominate the net to force a lift which YYS could smash for a winner or force an error for LYD to finish. Since returning to the international circuit with KGJ his dominance at the net has gone. He seems slower and less eager. But now he is back with YYS, you can see his decline has worsened again. Without a good forecourt player to feed YYS lifts, they can only rely on the counterattack. This is not enough for LYD as his defense is only good when placed within his reach. With the current fashion of playing disguised drops and crosscourt/wide angled smashes, which are both LYD and YYS's areas of weakness coupled with the fact they are playing many unforced errors, it really doesn't bode well for them returning to the very top. Furthermore, LYD's attitude and self-centered mentality on court really does not help build a strong relationship - something they desperately need to help sort out their differences.
Not disagreeing with you but from what I saw from the games against the japanese and taiwanese pairs LYD was actually doing well and set up YYS nicely while Yoo's smashes were flat as hell and painfully ineffective. Also they essentially lost every point when Yoo was serving. I'm not saying LYD is what he used to be - he's slower, more human in defence, producing more errors and the serve is shaky. However, he's still good at the net, and his eye for the game as well as touch is world class (only, kevin, hendra and maybe Zhang nan is at par). I think Yoo needs time to settle before we can expect much. Remember Hendra/Ahsan, Ko/Shin didnt do that well in the early stages of their respective comeback/reunitions.
A fun semi serious exhibition match just recently. YYS is always the joker... doing pushups while his partner smashing incessantly. Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk
I don't think LYD has declined but more of he has changed his play style after playing with so many other partners since they split up (like with Choi Solgyu and Kim Gi Jung). With those partnerships he had to learn to play more from the back and therefore relinquish the front more often. With that he also made the switch to a more counterattacking playing style (esp with so many flick serves he now does as he has little confidence on his low serve)
Yes both LYD and YYS are not at their best and they were both still uncomfortable with their serves. Even before they retired, they were always vulnerable against fast service returners and those that attack the low serve. But aside from this, they were not able to utilize YYS's strengths because LYD was not winning at the net. Take their last match against the Taiwanese pairing. Just look at how many opportunities YYS got to smash from the back compared to how often LYD forced a lift for YYS when they were world no. 1, there is a big difference. YYS hardly got any opportunities to smash against the Taiwanese pairing. LYD's net shots were being played back to him, he wasn't able to control and dominate the exchanges at the net, and often against someone I consider one of the worst net players in the top MD, Lee Jhe Huei. Rather than adopting the disciplined approach of sacrificing small attacking opportunities at the net to force lifts (as he used to), he was attacking it, which their opponents just drived/blocked back to the sides, denying YYS any real attacking opportunities. It doesn't help that LYD was flick serving so often, taking a big risk, it was almost as bad as Gabby Adcock! I think LYD's defense is still strong, probably not as solid as it used to be but certainly still better than most people. His smash seems to be a bit better too, with a bit more variation and power. But I think the biggest problem is it seems to me that they don't really want to be playing with each other. There is no fighting spirit nor real support for each other. My feeling is that LYD is the one that still has a slight chip on his shoulder, whereas YYS is the more tolerate and forgiving team player. These guys really need a good coach to pull them together. So much talent going to waste.
Really doesn't help that they're two of the most notorious high-servers that didn't have to play under the new, actually enforced rule before. And yeah, LYD is not much of a team player, I believe - there are some hints at it even by commentators (when talking about why he never got paired with Shin, for example). One of the reasons he didn't mesh well with Ko, for example, who is too self-critical and needs a more reassuring partner to prevent him from beating himself up over mistakes, not criticize him more. At least according to my armchair psychologist opinion Also, YYS is a very physical player. Those often lose their edge quickly at a certain point, and he really isn't a natural, technically or tactically. Stands to reason they would be very diminished when they can't constantly raise the pace above their opponents' comfort zone.
In the semifinals Yoo looked so old...LYD played quite well but Yoo made too many unforced errors, I think he is lacking the rythm and intensity you have to put in matches
LYD was the one who messed up his serve at match point 26-25 after taking an extended break to fix his racket, wipe sweat from the ground, and do a practice serve... But they are both very susceptible to fake smash drops due to their age, and rightly so, the Taiwanese pair took advantage of that instead of hammering smashes all the time. Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk