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Birmingham, March 4 (IANS)
Returning to the world's oldest badminton tournament for the first time since 2012, Chinese superstar Lin Dan said that he will try to win the title for the sixth time.
"It is amazing to win the title here because we professional players have always regarded All England Open as a mini-World Championship," said the two-time Olympic and five-time World Champion, reports Xinhua.
"I have played here 12 times and won five titles. The history is very special. It is my personal goal to win a sixth title and I will try to play my best at every match."
The 31-year-old, currently World No.6, opens his competition against Wei Nan of Hong Kong and is pitted in the same half of the draw as top seeded compatriot Chen Long, the World No.1.
It is Lin Dan's first tournament since he signed an endorsement deal with Japanese sports gear manufacturer Yonex, breaking away from the Chinese national team's sponsor Li-Ning, a Chinese company. The deal is reportedly worth of 100 million yuan (about $16.33 million) and will run until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"I wish to get as many points as possible to help my world ranking and fight for my sixth title. There are not a lot of players who can represent their country to compete in four Olympics. It will be great honour for me," he said.
