Generally speaking,I agree Chen Long peaked and played his best badminton at the three majors that he captured from LCW's hands. Apart from that, CL's best year was in 2015 when he won 7 titles, including the WC'15. As we know, beating LCW three times in a row for the major championships count a lot, by any measure.
But since 2016, CL really hasn't been able to step up at major tournaments. Not at three WCs, not for his country in Thomas Cup and Sudirman, not at world tour finals. He has in the past, but like all sports, badminton is constantly developing. Physically, it has taken a huge step in the past few years, imo. Just compare Axelsen and Momota at the SS Finals 2015 and then at All England final this year. Massive step up in muscle mass/athleticism/agility for both. Look at SYQ at the WC 2018 final, Lee Zi Jia, Jonatan Christie. The sport is not the same as in 2015. In four years time, it will look different again and we'll probably all be wondering why Momota can't win all the tournaments anymore and speculating about how he's saving himself for 2024.
Momota tested to the brim today, but it wasn't all due to Chen's prowess. Momota was visibly nervous, took little initiative, at least for the first one-and-a half games, and played far too prudently. There was little of the aggression that he showed at the Japan Open and World Championships, and very few physical manifestations, such as fist-pumping, that he usually displays during matches. But he managed to win nevertheless, which shows that he is developing just fine. Unfortunately, he is unlikely to have much in the way of stamina left for tomorrow's match...
Yep, thought so too, his right thigh is bandaged and he is visibly limping, always looking to go to the front of the net
@kurako I think he was doing ok until 19-15. Not his best, but still good. After that, he seemed really flustered and made some grave errors. Maybe he got flashbacks from last year. Still, great fighting spirit to win the second and it meant a lot to him to win it, judging by the celebration. Getting through when not at your best is a great feeling to have.
I don't know if it is true or not. But, I have seen something like that in another article. I think only Ahsan does this. I don't know.
Ashan carried Setiawan in AE and it's time for Setiawan to return the favour. But he is too old to do that I guess. Play hard. Train harder.
Considering Ahsan/Setiawan are not 100% fit, I'm surprised they've managed to keep the score this close. Speaks volumes about their experience and skills
Ahsan/Hendra doing AE version 2.. they still a very hard to beat pair even running with 1.5 cylinders.
