At least after that showboating (was it against Ng Ka Long?) he now knows where he really stands in terms of playing level.
I love Momota too and will always look back on his glory days to remind myself how damn good he was but he needs to change a lot of things to "come back stronger". The current version of him is just doesn't cut it, he can play well against all rounded players but will be at a significant disadvantage against players who he toyed with in the past, aggressive players like LZJ, VA, Ginting. The game plan to beat him is easy now and he needs to work on himself harder than ever and change what he's doing. Man, a loss this bad really does sting and is just a cruel reality check of how far he's behind now.
He should go for an abroad training camp, if he cannot join Axelsen in Dubai he should go to MAS or INA to practice with their best MS players
yes it is really sad. I believe he had beaten Victor 11 times in a row before his car accident in Malaysia
A friend and I were just discussing this. Literally seems like he's 3 years behind the likes of Viktor, Lee Zii Jia etc. His old strategy of grinding players down with solid basic play doesn't work anymore. Mens singles has changed in those 3 years, albeit not all of it was Momota's fault (car crash, covid, injuries etc). It works against lesser players (no disrespect to Vitidsarn) and it shows, Momota's confidence is sky high. Look how aggressive and creative he was last night. When it comes to aggressive players, he shrinks. Loses confidence, starts poorly and it's downhill from there.
He has also had injuries in recent years. Including a serious ankle injury. But Momota is no longer the same player since his accident. Personally, among other problems, I find his way of moving very different.
How do you know that? Honestly? What is you measurement stick? Because MS post Covid is so much weaker than pre Covid, it is not funny anymore. This is why this woeful version of KM (you know, the guy who lost first round at four tournaments this year) can make it to the final of a 750 tournament. So many good players gone/retired and injured, lost form because of Covid restrictions and so many inconsistent and young guys are unable to fill their shoes. So how do you measure Axelsen being "significantly" better when the conditions for him have gotten much easier and the opponents weaker?
Axelsen never had a serious ankle injury like SYQ for example, however Axelsen did have some minor nagging recurring injury to an ankle before, but went for surgery in 2019 and cured it. (correct me if im wrong)
"Denmark's star shuttler hoped for a quick return to the court after injury woes, but Rio 2016 bronze medallist pulled out of world championships (2019) as well. [...] The Dane had returned from injury a couple of months earlier in April - after months off recovering from ankle surgery - to win the European Championship in Huelva, Spain. Now in July 2019 after a year battling that ankle injury, asthma and allergies, back and leg pain, this latest news is another big setback just over a year away from Tokyo 2020." Source: Ken browne for the Olympics https://olympics.com/en/news/viktor-axelsen-out-injury-badminton
Oh yea Oh Viktor! I thought the ankle injury was referring to Momota. Yeah I remember reading this, had a bit of a lean patch after this.
Guys Momota lost 2 weeks ago against Gemke. Still Momota better than Gemke. This match was just training for true Momota to get to form. Momota has been dealing with injuries after coming back (back pain), and obviously still not fully match fit.
