Clark/Kellogg vs Laybourn/Juhl

This is the snapshot at the last moment of the match. I watched the whole match. Donna did a unexpected flick serve, and Thomas stood there like a dead meat, then a step forward and two steps backward. I think the serve's perfect. But Thomas was angry and also complained.

 

Does anyone have a video of that match?

 

Blckknght

Yes, Donna flicked Thomas on match point to win the game by effectively aceing him. The shuttle was well in but Thomas complained that it was not in the spirit of the game for anyone to flick on match point. Who says? He apparently slammed his racket into the floor and was given a red card (not that it mattered as the match was over)

He must play to a different set of rules to most other players and I believe he was really chastised by the Danish coaches for complaining. Apparently he carried on the complaint afterwards in the post match interview.

Perhaps he thought Donna was going to give him a nice low serve for him to murder. He was probably on his way forward before Donna had served - so got his due rewards.

Shame because it sounded a great game and Donna and Anthony won their first big mixed doubles title. Still it sounds as though everybody including Danish coaches, managers and observers thought Thomas' behaviour was out of order.

 

Is that really what he said?

What an idiot. I can't believe that a top professional would say something like that. What a load of cr*p!

What will he try next, "it's unsporting to smash at someone when it's match point?"

Maybe in football they should stop kicking the ball hard when taking penalties, because otherwise it's not fair on the goalie!!!

 

, idot..., maybe they couldn't accepted their lost with such of thing remember he's in this forum, i think he will read your post

 

When you perform such a stupid act in front of thousands of people, plus the TV audience...

It really doesn't matter if he reads it or not, because he has to understand that there was nothing worth complaining about on his part except he wasn't ready for the unexpected.

Flick serve at match point sounds perfectly legal according to the badminton rules book, unless someone can prove me wrong. If Donna would have serve it long, and given a "free" point to Thomas so to speak, do you think he would have complained???

 

To be honest I still can’t believe that was the basis of his argument. I could understand if it was because he thought the serve was too high, or a double action or something, but not that.

I know Thomas is a member of this forum, and I think he’s a brilliant player and I have the utmost respect for him and I hope that he does read this thread as I would like to hear his side of the story.

As bananaboy says if the serve was perfectly legal what is the problem? And would Thomas have objected (if indeed this was the grounds for his objection) if the serve had been out? Or if Donna had served long and lost the match on this point would he have objected and asked for the point to be replayed?

I hope that daddycoach is wrong with his explanation (it still sounds a bit unlikely) and that Thomas had a much better objection. Sadly I think it was just a case of he got caught out. I know we all lose our cool sometimes and losing on such a big stage is never easy, but I’m sure he will rise about his disappointment and grow as a player from this experience.

 

Illegal serve

Well.. As I understood Thomas, he was complaining about an illegal serve. I did not watch any post match interviews so this is just based from what I was when the match ended.. Meaning that he was not claiming that a flick is illegal, but apparently either that the serve was an illegal "over-hand" as we call it in Denmark (where you lift the shuttle and effectively shoot down at your opponent) or that there were several movements back and forth from the racquet before the serve was made which effectively makes it a "fake".. and that is illegal under the present serving rules where you have to make the serve as one straight forward movement from the point where you start moving the racket forward (did that make sense to anyone)..

Anyways.. It was impossible to see on TV whether these allegations are correct or not. Also, especially the back and forth with the racquet can sometimes happen unintentionally, especially if somebody gets a little bit nervous.. which would be perfectly understandable on a match point.. meaning that it could happen without it being intentional.. and thereby unsportsmanlike.. and I would like to stress that I am therefore not in any way defending the way Thomas was acting..

I'm just pointing out that he was not arguing that it was illegal to flick on a match point which some of you seemed to think..

 

Thanks for your post klaphat, that makes perfect sense and sounds much more likely.

The idea that his complaint was that flick servers are unsportsman like just doesn't sound like the reaction of a professional sportsman. I think you are probably right that he thought the serve was illegal for some reason.

I certainly hope that is the case.

 

My answer

Hi everybody

I just read your responses of the final of the mixed final in DK Open, and here are my comments.

First off all i must say, that calling me an idiot without knowing what you are talking about, that just isn´t fair and not very mature

About the serve, well as you say people sometimes loose there control off their actions. I was offcourse complaining about Donna´s serve, that it was illigal. I believed the serve was way to high or had two movements, but it´s impossible to see afterwards on the TV pictures. Both Kamilla and i felt we got cheated in that moment, and thats why we reacted as we did. I don´t regret reacting that way i did, i think it is okay to show your emotions on court, as they do in EVERY other sport.

And also as you say it was a good match eventhough it was some mess sometimes, but everybody on the court gave there best in that moment. Donna and Anthony played well in the 2nd and big parts off the 3rd, so they well deserved to win it, so my congratulations go to them, because i didn´t get the chance to say it to them after the match.

I hope you got the answer off your discussions, or else just write your responses again.

Take care everybody

Thomas

 

Dear Thomas,

Thank you very much for your reply, I'm really glad that you decided to post and give us your side of the story.

I hope my comments didn't cause offence. My point which I don't think I made clear in my original post, which I tried to clarify in my subsequent posts was that if the reason for your complaint (as stated by daddycoach) was that a high serve was unsporting on match point, then this was stupid.

But as I said, I found it very hard to believe this was the argument of a professional sportsman, and in one of my later posts I stated that I hoped your real reason was that the serve was illegal.

I completely agree that players should show emotion on court. You are very passionate about the game and wear your heart on your sleeve, and I think that that is what makes you such a popular player, certainly that's why I love to watch your games.

Again I would like to apologies for my stupid assumption that daddycoach was correct with his explanation for your objection, and any offence it may have caused to you, this was certainly not my intention.

I still believe that if your objection had been on the grounds of sportsmanship then this would have been foolish, but am very pleased to hear that this was not the case. I greatly appreciate you giving us your side of the story.

I will try to make sure that in future I do not take the contents of other people’s posts as fact without some other kind of confirmation.

Best wishes,

Alaric

 

Well there are some decision have controversies with umpire's call but players have to learn how deal with it and get on with the game. Glad Thomas got it over with it, there is always a next time.