So he's still wrapping his grip like a right-hander. Interesting. Those custom repaints made to spec don't come cheap or fast, so I understand his hesitation in giving them away
Rather than his racket, I was surprised he didn't give away his shirts. He threw away his sweatfull towel though before the prize presentation haha. I guess any of LD's litter is basically a god sent prize to the peasants.
The PEASANT who got the racket has become an instant star There is a video of him too : https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/ba...an-catches-lin-dans-racquet-at-malaysia-open/ Badminton fan catches Lin Dan's racquet at Malaysia Open PETALING JAYA: A Kelantan-born fan has become the talk of the town among the Malaysian badminton fraternity, after catching Lin Dan's racquet at the Malaysia Open on Sunday (April 7). Loh Cheng Sheng, 27, is now the envy of badminton fans in Malaysia, who are calling him the luckiest guy on the planet. Lin Dan had thrown his racquet into the crowd after winning the Malaysia Open men's singles final. "After Lin Dan clinched the winning point, I actually stood up and cheered for him," Loh said. Loh was surprised to see the racquet "flying like a boomerang" towards him and said he used all his might to grab it. "After that, I held the racquet and shouted ''Lin Dan, I love you'," he said. Loh plans to frame the racquet, despite offers by diehard fans to buy it from him. "Everyone told me that if I'm not going to use it, I should set a price for the racquet and let it go," he said. "This racquet is special for me because it belonged to the legend - Lin Dan," he added.
Whatever that can be said about LD's win vis-a-vis his form in 2008 or 2012... one thing is sure... and I have often written here..... a slow mo LD can still beat 20 something youngsters. When LD was a 20 something youngsters he was beating all the senior fellas nearing 30. Taufik was also beating senior fellas whilst stioll a teenager. Last year 20 something hotshot had trouble beating mid 30 LCW. Either LCW and LD are two very special paleyers who pushed badminton standards so high that youngsters today havent been able to catch up with ageing Goat and the runner up or that youngsters are not like younsters of old.
LD Anything Super 500 and above is considered major tournament. The higher the more major. So MO as Super 750 being the second highest tier is a major tournament.
2 things to take away from this: 1. Dan the Man is benevolent to people whose surname are Loh despite one making a hooha over winning him in a status that was giving 0 f*cks to anything else around him; and 2. Dan the Man has the ability to bless peasants into an instant celebrity with a flick of his wrist, and a racket in hand. I rest my case.
I’m glad someone so deserving got the racket. Especially such an iconic racket. Means more than a racket when he was winning everything.
Interesting... Lee Hyun il could be one contender but i am not sure. Lin Dan's MO title win must be one of the greatest sporting event in the history of all sports. One of the greatest comeback stories!
Lin Dan proved a point or two with his performance in Malaysia. NEW LUSTRE TO THE LEGEND WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019 TEXT BY DEV SUKUMAR | BADMINTONPHOTO By now, nothing that Lin Dan does should have been cause for surprise. So often has he defied conventional logic and the limits that shackle lesser mortals. The champion outfoxed his challengers. And yet, even by the measure of what he has done in previous years, his Malaysia Open 2019 performance last week caused fans to sit up and take notice. He had gone over a year without making the final of a top-tier event. Since last year’s Japan Open in September, he had never even crossed the second round of a top-tier event. Eight tournaments, just four matches won. Thus, it ran counter to recent form when Lin clawed his way back from near-certain defeat – he trailed 12-19 in the second game after losing the first – against Chou Tien Chen in the first round in Malaysia. Having staged the escape act, the 2017 champion was unusually animated at winning the opening round. It was perhaps the little push he needed to script what was to follow. Suppanyu Avihingsanon and Kanta Tsuneyama proved no match for his wiles. Shi Yuqi in the semifinals was expected to be a different proposition, for the younger man had won their last four matches. It was a different Lin Dan that turned up on the day. If in recent years he had switched to a sedate style based on control and placement, in Malaysia it was a more classic version – lightning flashes of attack; electric movement; masterly netplay. There was more zip in his smashes, more fluidity in following up attacks; greater authority in dictating terms. Neither Shi in the semifinals nor Chen Long in the final, despite their younger legs, could find the resources to counter his moves. Essentially, what he did during the course of the week in Malaysia was to state that he is in contention to qualify for Tokyo 2020. As the qualifying period for the Tokyo Olympics draws close, the swagger is back – he will be no pushover in the Race to Tokyo. Only two qualifiers per category from each member association can make it to the Olympics, and Chen Long and Shi Yuqi will know they have a battle on their hands. Lin himself acknowledged that he had been under a lot of pressure following sub-par performances for a year. The swagger is back. “My performances last year were not ideal. As a result I was under a lot of pressure and I had doubts about myself. I have been playing for so many years. Now that I’m at the tail end of my career, I hope everyone can understand that it’s normal that my form fluctuates,” Lin said. “I feel that I played well in this Malaysia Open because I was very determined, in good form and hungry for victory. I didn’t play at an exceptionally high level in this tournament, all I did was stick to my strategy and play to my strengths.” His latest exploits have bowled over his competitors, most of whom are a decade younger and grew up watching him play. “For me it’s Lin Dan, I admire him for the way he keeps himself, the way he plays, the way he’s motivated,” said Kidambi Srikanth. His compatriot Pusarla V Sindhu: “It’s the same with me, he’s achieved a lot, he’s a legend.” As for fellow left-hander Kento Momota: “It’s the whole approach. I can learn a lot from his choice of shots and I try to pick up those ideas.” Lin’s performance has surprised not just fans and fellow-players, but also veterans of the game. Chinese coach Zhang Jun was all admiration: “I couldn’t imagine it before the Malaysia Open. His physical condition and his pace and his control have been much greater than in the recent past.” A member of the Chinese team summed it up after watching his first round win: “You just have to hand it to him. He’s got such a strong heart.” The coming months will tell if Lin manages to stay on top of his game. But if the Malaysia Open triumph proved one thing, it was this – that a man with ability and a stout heart can never be counted out, no matter what recent form suggests. Source : https://olympics.bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2019/04/10/new-lustre-to-the-legend/
Do you have any reference for this claim about major tournaments or is it just your personal opinion? According to BWF Malaysia open is grade 2 level 3 tournament, far from major. There are only two individual major tournaments, world championships and olympics. It is all explained here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badminton_World_Federation
Super 500 and above are major tournaments in "HSBC BWF World Tour" circuits. Olympics, WC, Continental Championships etc are not part of it. Am trying to find the reference, anyone else who could provide it would be so helpful.
Notice how your fingers, wrapping around the grip, are slightly slanted downwards? The grip usually aligns with that. A select few to it the other way around (LD, being a left-hander, grips his racket the way a right-hander would, a team mate of mine uses a left-hander grip despite being a right-hander...). Do a right or left handed grip by turning the racket upside down, then start applying the grip by pulling to the side with your respective hand (i.e. pull it to the right with your right hand for a right-handed grip). There is no real advantage or disadvantage, but most people tend to find it more comfortable this way because the ridges of the grip align with your fingers more and thus are less noticeable/annoying.
Singapore Open: A day to forget for the organisers, Lin Dan and Viktor Axelsen. Heated Exchange between Lin Dan and the Line Judge as LD blasts organisers for putting the match of the Day on Court 4. The left-hander started from where he left in the Malaysia Open final, stretching to a 6-1 commanding lead, before two consecutive bad line calls changed the mood of the match. There were multiple questionable line calls against the Chinese, but a disputed call at 13-19 down broke the camel's back and the Two time Olympic Champion raged quit the match like he had never done before. Viktor Axelsen, is not one of those people who are tight-lipped on such matters and the Dane responded to the media that due to LD's act of retiring on game point, he felt "bad for the sport".