I think Marin's team did an amazing job. Considering Spain a non badminton nation, only herself carrying her country flag all around winning titles, no brainer that she received that high level treatment from her team, but in certain countries, when you are one among many best players where only the player themselves need to have that motivation to come back. They will help them but not to that level Marin receives. Just my humble opinion. I am talking about India. Only 2 academies in India receive huge support from Government and all kinds of experts' help received in those two academies. This happens in populated countries like China, India and Indonesia as well. If a player comes from this countries without govt support, hats off to them. But it will be very rare. They tend to lose belief in period of time when everything is scarce to you and eventually you leave the sport.
Agreed, there is a large mental aspect behind the recovery of an injury. SYQ's injury, like most injuries, doesn't have strict period of recovery time. Apparently it's 6 weeks minimum but return to actual safe function can vary greatly. We don't really know the extent of his injury but the way he played against Lu Guang Zu clearly showed it was a physical restriction. I don't think SYQ is less motivated than Carolina Marin, he just doesn't want to come back too early and worsen his injury.
http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2019-10-09/doc-iicezuev1031513.shtml Shi Yuqi's next comeback tournament will be the Macau Open, Oct 29 to Nov 3. His opening-round opponent is FRA Thomas Rouxel. By the way, it will also be Son Wan Ho's return to competition after injury layoff. Edit: Hold on, Shi Yuqi is registered for both the DEN Open and the French Open, So I guess what the author meant was SYQ is joining hands with Son Wan Ho in the latter's comeback tournament after injury layoff. Oh dear, for the French Open, Shi Yuqi, Chen Long and Lin Dan all drawn in the same 2nd quadrant. And Huang Yuxiang is in the 1st quadrant with Kento Momota. All the four CHN MS are in the top half. What a draw. Incidentally, Lu Guangzu's name is missing in the French Open list.
It seems Shi YQ would show up in Macau Open as he pulled out in back to back Europe tour. A hard fate for this young man who suffering severe injury in very crucial period, lots of tournaments had been skipped, a big question whether Shi YQ could make it just in time for Tokyo 2020, otherwise he needs to wait four years later in Paris 2024 when he will turn 28 years old. Lu Guangzu will participate 7th World's Military Games that take places in Wuhan, starting 21st October where its schedule clashes with upcoming French Open.
In my humble opinion, I venture to say,Shi Yuqi, in the month or so and up to the Sudirman Cup triumph, notably in the way he thumped Momota in the final, was on the verge of making a breakthrough in the next tournament or two , thus opening a new chapter in the early years of his career. But, unfortunately, as fate would have it, he accidentally sustained an ankle injury at the INA Open in July that forced him out of action for several months now. It couldn't have come at a worse time, that during the OG QF period, which not only set him back in the race to Tokyo 2020 but also stymied his rise to the next level. As a matter of fact, the injury undid all his gains the previous months, wiping off whatever actual or psychological advantage he might have acquired over Momota, and practically resetting everything, going back to square one and having start all over again in his attempt to pose a serious challenge to the reigning world champion and consistent world ranked number one, Kento Momota. In CBA, as I've said before, there's a saying that for every month an athlete in a physically-demanding sport is laid off, s/he would require double that amount of time to get back to his pre-injury form. So, based on that supposition, as SYQ 's injury layoff started in July and he is slated to return to competition at the coming Macau Open end of the month (discounting the Victor China Open last month where he was obviously in no shape to play as he was just too anxious to garner some ranking points for fear of falling too far behind), it should be at most some time in end April or May next year that he can regain his former form, assuming it goes smoothly for him. Even then, there is no knowing if or when he could make that supposed delayed or disrupted breakthrough in his game and start to pose a real threat to Momota again. That's why, I fear, all in all, it may take him up to a year beginning from next month, November, for him to reach that state crucial to vying for the most-coveted gold medal. But, by then, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held 24th July to 9th August would be over, sadly. Unless, optimistically, he made it to the top in just nine months, coinciding with the commencement of the Olympics. That would be marvelous indeed; the stuff of fairy tales. Allow me to qualify my proposition by pointing out that the Momota whom Shi Yuqi bested commandingly in that sensational Sudirman Cup final is not the same Momota today who won the just-concluded Denmark Open in style, stamping his authority on all his opponents, including Chen Long. As we also know, which bears repeating, Momota in that much-talked-about Sudirman Cup debacle was labouring under difficult conditions with tremendous pressure in a do-or-die, must-win situation with Team Japan already 2-0 down after losing the opening men's doubles and women's singles matches before the men's singles match was played. In other words, the current Momota is at another level, there is, therefore, without a doubt even more work for Shi Yuqi to do, much more ground to cover, for him to catch up with his biggest rival, the undisputed numero uno at the moment, the hot favourite in any tournament he plays, all the way to Tokyo, presumably. Unquestionably, a daunting task for Shi Yuqi in the months, nay, year ahead, the more so for someone just coming back from an injury layoff. The above is all just my personal opinion. For now, I can only earnestly hope and look forward to seeing Shi Yuqi's return. May it be a roaring successful comeback for the rising star in the making, Shi Yuqi. Jiayou!
I suddenly recall reading a Chinese article some time ago about Xia Xuanze commenting on who he thought Shi Yuqi resembles most in playing style (sorry I missed translating that article, lazy to search for it now). In Xia XZ's opinion, he felt Shi Yuqi in playing style and characteristics is not quite like Lin Dan or Chen Long, he more resembles Zhao Jianhua, though he is a southpaw. It seems that he has in mind only other China players to make comparisons. Personally, I beg to differ, Zhao Jianhua is a very creative, artistic and deceptive player, in my humble opinion, apart from the fact that he is also a lefty but that's not the main point. If I may venture to say(actually I've expressed it more than once before in the tournament threads), I'd liken Shi Yuqi more to Lee Chong Wei in the way they attack, defend and counterattack with speed and accuracy, generally speaking. Of course, the now 23 years old Shi Yuqi is not at LCW's level yet, both in terms of technical skills and, needless to say, experience, but I think he may reach there one day, I certainly hope so. That's not to say he can never be compared with Lin Dan in the future, it's just that Lin Dan's a hard act to follow for anyone; besides, being compared to LCW who is Lin Dan's greatest rival and most worthy opponent, is itself already a huge compliment, in my opinion. Nevertheless, what is more relevant is that we are talking about playing styles rather than achievements. In conclusion, for me, it just strikes me that whenever I see Shi Yuqi playing, he often reminds me of LCW more than anyone else. And I hasten to add, should he become as successful as LCW in terms of accolades one day, I hope he doesn't have a nemesis in the form of Lin Dan as his major stumbling block to attaining the most-coveted titles, such as the World and Olympic golds.
So far in Shi Yuqi's first two matches post-injury comeback (discounting the match with Lu Guangzu at the Victor China Open last month as he was obviously unfit then) at the ongoing Macau Open, he pulled through against Lucas Claerbout in R1 after barely surviving G2, 26-24, before running away with G3,21-11,and then despatching Ren Pengbo in R2 a close two-set battle, 21-9, 21-18. In tomorrow's quarterfinals, he's up against another compatriot, Zhao Junpeng, who did well to prevail against Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk. Let's see how he will fare. To be frank, as there wasn't any Court 3 livestream to watch him play these two days , I can only speculate that it's more likely a tentative start to the tournament against opponents he should have no trouble beating in his pre-injury days. Personally, I believe he still has a long way to go as I suspect he returned to competition too soon in the sense that he's not yet fully match-fit though well enough to play, forced by circumstances beyond his control, overanxious to quickly get back into the race to Tokyo 2020. It's not only a case of mind over matter, more importantly, he has to tread carefully and take extra precautions to avoid another injury. To cut to the chase, I doubt we'll see him mount the winner's podium on Sunday, to be realistic. Let's not forget, it's not even three and a half months since he injured his ankle during the match with Anders Antonsen in R2 of the INA Open on 18 July for which he underwent a surgery. We'll see.
Saw Shi Yuqi's match with Zhao Junpeng today on livestream playing the Macau Open QFs. I must say he wasn't as fast and sharp as he was before the injury, probably still feeling his way about and trying to regain his touch by playing a somewhat more controlled game but enough to overcome his first three opponents here, two of whom are his fellow teammates whose game he's familiar with as they train together on a daily basis. Tomorrow's semifinal opponent will be his first real test in his comeback tournament, awaiting him is Kantaphon Wangcharoen, a strong, young up-and-comer. However, as SYQ is registered to play the next two weeks' tournaments, namely, the Fuzhou China Open followed by the Hong Kong Open, that is, three tournaments in a row, he certainly has to pace himself well so as to maximise his chances of gaining the much-needed ranking points.
You're absolutely right. With the Olympic Qualification period for Tokyo 2020 ending 26 April 2020 - see timeline here https://olympics.bwfbadminton.com/about/ - Shi Yuqi has virtually only about five months left, excluding December 2019 as there's no tournament available to him for participation that month, to fight for a place in the Olympics. That's life. In other words, if not for the pressing situation he's in, I believe we may not see him resume competition until early next year. As it is, we can only wish him the best and hope for a successful yet safe outcome for his Olympic qualification.
Surprisingly, Shi Yuqi exceeded my expectations already by actually beating Kantaphon Wangcharoen for a place in the final of the Macau Open'19. Admittedly, I underestimated his willpower and determination to get back into the race to Tokyo 2020. True, in the match with Kantaphon, he showed signs of rustiness and some lack of stamina, esp in G2 where he made several uncharacteristic errors but still managed to take the decider when his hefty lead of 11-3 was gradually reduced to just two points, 18-16, at which moment he reeled off the last three final points to wrap it up. At the rate he is going, I have to revise my prognostication of his progress, if everything goes smoothly for him, he might well regain up to 90-95% of his best form as early as next January or so, I hope. Then his Olympic prospects will start to look much brighter than what I originally thought, particularly when his first comeback attempt at the Victor China Open in September ended pathetically in an opening-round licking by his compatriot Lu Guangzu, 5-21, 9-21, and now in his second comeback attempt at the ongoing Macau Open, he succeeded remarkably in booking a final berth by beating the likes of Kantaphon Wangcharoen, a very promising, young up-and-comer. Of course, if SYQ is able to prevail over Thammasin Sitthikom tomorrow and lift the trophy, that would be icing on the cake. As Thammasin was impressive in the way he bested Sun Feixiang just now, the current Shi Yuqi may have his work cut out for him, I'm afraid.
Non stop tournament in five consecutive weeks, three Super 300 + 1 S750 + 1 S500 => Macau Open, Fuzhou CHN Open, HKG Open, Gwangju KOR Masters and Syed Modi International. Don't know how he would manage stamina to participate such kind of busy schedule.
Oh dear, should've thought of that as he has to make the most of whatever tournaments available. One step at a time, slow and steady, and avoid injury while maximising his opportunities and at the same time coping with stresses and strains of intense competition. Best of luck to Shi Yuqi. Jiayou!
Pretty worrying that he was limping during his match. Will he follow the same fate as Sun Jun who couldn't recover properly from an ankle injury for the 2000 Olympics?
He was limping because Shi Yuqi had huge blisters on his foot . Seems the right foot.Chen qi qiu told fans about this in his weibo grup after the match.
Thanks for telling us, allaying our fears. I didn't notice he was limping a bit as I thought he was just tired, as well watching it on the small smartphone instead of my usual 24" computer screen as I was away, it wasn't that clear to me without close-up views. Today at the Macau Open Final with Thammasin Sitthikom, Shi Yuqi apparently ran out of steam after taking G1 and lost the next two sets and the match, esp G3, without a fight. It's obvious accumulated fatigue over the five-day event eventually took its toll and also he was taking extra precautions to avoid injuries by trying to guess the return shots, specifically smashes, and letting go of shots that he has to scramble for. Well, some people may think it's a pity he missed winning the title but I feel he has achieved more than what he set out to do, using the Macau tournament as a testing ground for his post-injury recovery state to gauge how far he can go, make the necessary adjustments, and better prepare himself for the following tournaments of which, as CLELY pointed out, there are five more remaining this year. Without a shadow of a doubt, the more so for a player who just came back from an injury layoff, having to play so many tournaments practically non-stop week after week is both physically and mentally a very demanding task - the stakes are high, so too the risks. As he has made up his mind to give it a go, as skipping one Olympic would mean another long four-year wait, and how many four-year cycles has he got for a now 23-year-old professional athlete, we can only wish him, as a popular saying goes, 'May the Force be with you'.
http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2019-11-07/doc-iicezuev7764003.shtml “目前恢复到八成吧。” According to Shi Yuqi regarding his post-injury form:" Now it's back to 80%."
Yes, you're right. Umm...well, this article is dated 7th Nov, today, and did not mention his injury in R1 with Rasmus Gemke. Found another article that did but no details http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2019-11-07/doc-iicezuev7810495.shtml. So, let's wait and see, he has three more tournaments to play the next three consecutive weeks, namely, the HK Open S500, followed by the Gwangju Korea Masters S300, and then the Syed Modi S300. Hope it's nothing serious.
