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How is it possible for one man to start a week ranked 100, slip all the way down to 286 and still win the badminton World Championships for a fifth time despite not having played for a year? For most badminton players it is unthinkable, but not Lin Dan.
Widely regarded as the greatest player to ever hit the badminton courts, Lin Dan has grown to become not just a superstar from China, but a symbol of the sport. Those crafty flicks, those fantastic smashes, those unbelievable retrieves; Lin Dan has transformed badminton almost single-handedly.
The very fact that before players like Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu burst onto the international scene, badminton was associated solely with Lin Dan when it came to Indians, says a lot about the class of this man.
Coming into the recently concluded World Championships in China, Lin Dan was always going to be a force to reckon with, but was definitely not the favourite with the likes of Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long playing the badminton of their lives.
Adding to this, his break from competitive badminton had caused a lot of questions to be asked about his match fitness. As it is, coming in as a wild card would definitely not have allayed the fears of his many fans regarding his ability to win this year’s World Championship.
The opening two rounds were to be a fair indication of what was to come from the then four-time world champion. Lin Dan started off his campaign with a demolition of his opponent, but it was evident that he was a little bit rusty because of his time off. But he did grow stronger and stronger as the tournament progressed. He did have a tough time in his third round encounter, but it still did not stop the champ from moving forward.
His quarter-final fixture though, was being regarded as a death knell for the Chinese player. Playing Chinese compatriot Chen Long was definitely not an exciting prospect for Dan, but these are the times when champions show the stuff they are made from.
It may have been that Chen Long was ‘Lin-Danned’ and so did not show up, but then all credit has to go to Lin Dan for being able to create such an impression on his opponents. Yet, it was a great performance from the defending champion as he won in straight games to progress to the semifinals.
For the badminton fanatics, the dream final between Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei was close to becoming a reality now that the biggest obstacle in Lin Dan’s path to the final was out of the way.
Lin Dan won the dream final against Lee Chong Wei
Lin Dan did not disappoint in the semifinals, as he put on yet another great performance to defeat Vietnam’s Tien Minh Nguyen in straight games to reach the finals and set up the long awaited dream encounter with Lee Chong Wei.
It proved to be the battle of equals, as Chong Wei won the first game, but Lin Dan responded in style with an emphatic victory in the second.
The third proved to be a nail-biting game, with neither player being able to rack up a run of points. But in the end, Lin Dan managed to forge ahead, and a cramp for Lee Chong Wei, which forced him to retire at match point, handed Lin Dan one of his most memorable world titles.
A lot of questions were raised prior to the start of the World Championships regarding Lin Dan’s abilities. People were declaring that the world Championships would mark the beginning of the decline of Lin Dan.
Despite his victory, people questioned the legitimacy of his title by saying he gained an advantage in the final with the air-conditioning being turned off mid-way through the second game; clearly these were the people who did not watch the World Championships.
If anybody saw Lin Dan play over the course of the week, that person would be in no doubt that he still had what it took to be on top. The smashes were still powerful, the defence was still rock solid as ever, and moreover his ingenuity, and deceptive drops, along with his brilliant net game, re-affirmed the fact that Lin Dan was truly a genius and the greatest player of all time.
No one knows what Lin Dan will do next. Whether he’ll once again disappear and come back for the next World Championships directly or if he’ll continue playing regularly.
But one thing is for certain. Lin Dan provided the fans like he has been providing for so many years now, complete entertainment at the World Championships this year, and whatever happens next, he has secured his position among the greatest sportpersons.
