Chen Long, Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei for the world title

AlanY, as always, thanks for the stats.

I think how the three contenders perform the next few tournaments in the run-up to the WC should give us a clearer picture of their forms and chances. Of the three, Lin Dan obviously has the most to do and the hardest part as well to get back into top form.

Of the next available tournaments, it'll probably be the INA Open PSS and the SG Open SS that we may see them playing together. We might also want to look out for potential underdogs and dark horses. I'm most keen to see how Wang Zhengming would fare in the coming tournaments as a prelude to the WC.

 

only these three for the MS title?
Anyway, I really think one of these three will be the champion.
My take:
LCW 35%
CL 35%
LD 20%
The rest 10%
The main reason I rate LD lower than LCW and CL is because of lack of competitions, as we see CY/FHF's performance in Sudirman Cup.
Should we have a poll for this?

 

yes, i'm glad you pointed that out

 

I'll put CL a little higher than LCW.

 

It would be a major surprise if one of them isn't out as the World Champion
The Gold, Silver and Bronze medalist of London OG are strong fave here, the biggest individual event after Olympic Games.

 

If I'm not wrong, Lin Dan's motivation was already waning sometime before the London Olympics though it came back up quite a bit just before and during it. Now that he has made it a double in Olympic gold, I'm afraid his motivation will take a further dip. In fact, I believe lack of motivation is the bane of champions or any top players, a famous example I often cited being tennis legend,Bjorn Borg, who suddenly announced his retirement at the age of just 26 for lack of motivation while still at the height of his power.

In this regard, both Lee CW and Chen Long are more motivated than Lin Dan and I'd rate Lee CW's chances highest assuming all three play at about the same level. The quest for Lin Dan to win his 5th WC title isn't the same as for wining the 1st or 2nd world title as far as his motivation is concerned. Nevertheless, on one aspect, Lin Dan holds the element of surprise, for nobody except CBA and those closest to him knows his current form, the more so nearer to the event.

Of course, I'd love to see Lin Dan make it a 5 !

 

It will be silly to rate LD higher than LCW considering the lack of competition and motivation. CL has been bothered by shoulder injury during Sudirman Cup (even he overcame his opponents by not smashing much). Even LYB stated that LD might lose in the 1st round (you can also argue it is another mind game played by LYB).

P/S: Everybody knows why LCW lost to BCL in China Open 2007.

 

LD meets CL, CL win
LD meets LCW, LD win
CL meets LCW, don't know, hope LCW win cause time is running out.

 

BWF world championships

You guys are not considering the up and coming youngsters like Xue Song and Tian Houwei..

 

What's there to Xue Song and Tian Houwei in this thread as they are not at all in the WC list...??? And also, i have checked Xue song's matches and came to know that he has the habit of losing to japanese players in the tournaments he has taken part into.

 

Tian Houwei and Xue Song, of course, we will have to seriously consider them, provided they're eligible for the World Championships 2013?! Unfortunately they aren't and I'm beginning to miss them, and long to see them competing soon probably in tournaments after the WC, I hope. And more of WS Sun Yu too.

 

Nineteen-year-old Xue Song's foray in the adult international circuit were the AUS GPG'13 followed by the NZ GP'13 in both of which he appeared in the finals, the former beaten by compatriot, Tian Houwei, the conqueror of Lee CW, and the latter losing to JPN Riichi Takeshita. In that match vs R Takeshita, Xue Song was actually playing his 30th or more match in that month, so the defeat I'd say is understandable for his being somewhat jaded.

I wonder how many MS can score two runner-ups successively in their first two adult international tournaments played. To me,that kind of result is highly commendable considering he scalped the likes of Taufik Hidayat,Nguyen Tien Minh, Alamsyah Yunus,Lee Dong Keun, Ajay Jayaram and incidentally beating another JPN player,Kazumasa Sakai. No doubt at junior level such as the WJC'12, he lost twice in tight 3-set encounters to Kento Momota but Xue Song has since outperformed him at the adult level based on the results.

I'm confident Xue Song is a worldbeater as many have witnessed at the AUS and the NZ Opens aforementioned. And I trust we'll certainly see more of him in future continuing to make waves like he did in the only two adult events he's played so far. Note that CBA never sent their players to any adult international event lower than Grand Prix level, just not their policy I think.

 

i disagree.
i think LD "owns" CL psychologically as he does with all other Chinese singles players. IF LD meets CL in the MS final, my money is still on LD.

 

I think the sole purpose of LD entering this WC is to clear hurdles for Chinese players. If a pair of Chinese in the final including him and CL, he will lose his motivation. If LD is in the final with the others, he will play 100%. He will retire after this WC unless LYB tells him otherwise.

 

yes, i cannot disagree with that. i agree that he may lose motivation if he doesn't meet up with anyone other than LCW. and that he may hand the crown to CL or DPY. (but then that's only because he feels he already owns them and he has nothing to prove, whereas he always wants to prove to everyone that he is the best, and always a little better than LCW) if he loses to another Chinese player, it is because he concedes the match, not because of the other Chinese player had better technique/strategy in the win.