I think that it was already a stamina game. 'How' looked really tired in the second set and going for full-power smashes did not helped too (you could hear the 'gasps' all the time when he smashes, much like a double player going all-in). The issues was , that Momota/How were able to play the net and the neutral game safely, but How was able to pull off this sudden full-power smashes several time and each time he got one point advantage. Momota kind of played vs his mirror image with an better attack.
This is EXACTLY what I said after his OG match and I still fully agree. It's not like his movement is slow. It's the reaction time which is much longer now compared to 2019. It really feels like he sees the shuttle much later. I noticed this on many occasions during today's match also.
Yeah I noticed that a lot too before but I thought he was just nervous and stiff. After today's match against Heo and how he reacted to some of those smashes, it really seems like there is an issue with his vision. Whatever it is, he is still able to play shots well when he has sufficient time to see its trajectory and get an idea of where it's going, but for smashes, it happens way too quickly.
I think he is just not used to hard smashes anymore. There really isn't anyone in team Japan with a powerful smash that momota can practice defence against. I believe that as he starts getting back in tournament play and faces opponents with powerful smashes his defence will gradually return to him
No argument about this, Momota 2019 is no longer available. I'm unsure of why he is struggling so much, is it just lacking practise or is it a lacking confidence. Most likely both.
He has played against quite a few players with strong smashes already, both in Surdirman and Thomas Cup. His defense was top notch as well after he came back from his ban. Anyways, it doesn't matter. The issue is he doesn't seem to be able to see whether the shot is coming from the left or right until it has crossed onto his side of the court. A lot of his defenses have quick racquet movement, but the shot is extremely delayed. It's really really obvious there is something abnormal going on.
I remember the first time I faced someone with a hard smash I couldn't even see the shuttle until it had landed. It was like it disappeared from sight. I feel right now Kento is experiencing the same thing.
It's unknown if the car accident and also catching covid has affected Momota physically. Momota needs to play more competitive international tournaments before we can gauge whether he has really lost a step compared to before. Age wise, Momota is still in his prime. But sometimes you suffer an injury and you can't get back to your original form and level of play. Li Xurei never returned to her top world level and form after her Olympic injury. Jan O' Jorgensen could also not return to his form and level of play after his prolonged injury. Carolina Marin, surprisingly, returned to her top world level after her first major injury so she is an example of a player who returned to the top level of play after a major injury (only to get injured again before the Olympics). Hopefully nothing severe happened from the car accident and the subsequent surgery to Momota, but it's unknown at this point. Also, I believe I read some articles where covid can do prolonged damage to the lungs. In Momota's case, I don't believe he had a severe case of covid so if so, that would be good news. Having said that, I can't count out 100% that the combination of Momota's car accident and catching covid, isn't affecting him physically in some way. We will know if Momota is able to participate in more international tournaments. I think his Japan teammates just aren't good enough to push him during their sparring sessions. Having said that, there may be 2 more Thomas Cup matches for Momota, if Japan wins tomorrow. So let's see how he plays for the remainder of the Thomas Cup.
As mentioned by @galaxyduo, no-one, except possibly Momota himself, knows whether the accident has left a residual disability; it is pure speculation. I personally think that his eyesight is fine. After all, the double vision problem he faced after the accident, only affected his eyesight when he looked upwards; i.e., when responding to clears. Horizontal and downward shots did not trouble him. And I do not believe that this will have changed after the operation. However, there are obvious issues with his powers of anticipation. Whilst Momota used to be known for reading his opponent's game, currently, he is being taken by surprise. He also looks a little less sprightly than was formerly the case. Here's my liberal translation of Momota's post-match comments, as carried by Badminton Spirit. My opponent was in control throughout the match, and I had no leeway. I do not view him as a particularly difficult opponent to play against; the reason for the loss was my inability to withstand his attacks. I feel that I need to raise the accuracy of my game to a level where, rather than passively "inviting an attack", I am able to take the initiative and "force an attack" from my opponent. --
Even though Momota lost, I feel like his lifts/clears were not intercepted nearly as much as at the Olympics 2020. But then again, Heo Kwanghee He probably chose not to be aggressive as he said here: PROVED A POINT, SAYS HEO AFTER SECOND TAKEDOWN OF MOMOTA https://bwfthomasubercups.bwfbadmin...int-says-heo-after-second-takedown-of-momota/ “At the Olympics, I was very aggressive. This time I tried to stay with him, so that if it was a long match he would be tired too. I could induce more mistakes from him today. Momota was tending to play half-smashes rather than full smashes. I could anticipate those shots and I think that made him a bit embarrassed, as I could read his shots. I’m very good at the crosscourt smashes but he was ready for it today. But as I noticed that, I tried to mix it up.”
This has to be the case given the chicken is always seen wrapped in the JPN flag and a few posts above there is eveidence that the chicken has its own seat plus all you can eat cookies and drinks
I am baffled by what he said. He wants to force an attack from the opponent. I was expecting him to say that he will start to attack more hereafter. But defensive mentality does not allow him to say so.
