It is probably too rude to ask any sportsperson about when do they plan to retire or whether this would be the last time they could be seen in action in a particular tournament.
But China’s five-time world champion Lin Dan and his biggest rival over the years, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, seem to have got so used to this question that all they do is share a knowing glance at each other, smile and then respond in unison, “I don’t know.”
Lin Dan is 33 and Chong Wei is 34, and although both of them know that they are in the twilight of their career, they are far from being a spent force. Both have won a Superseries title each this year and there is no doubt that they can still give the youngsters a run for their money even if they can’t dominate the circuit like in the past.
Perennial bridesmaid
Despite that Chong Wei, who will turn 35 in October, is still the second-highest ranked player in the circuit. He knows that he has to grab his chances of bagging that elusive World Championship gold soon or he would have to hang his racquet as the perennial bridesmaid.
The Malaysian has lost in three finals and was disqualified for a doping offence in one, where also he ended up on the losing side, and has added his former coach Misbun Sidek to the coaching entourage for the 23rd edition of the BWF World Championship starting in Glasgow on Monday in his quest for glory.
“My preparations for this tournament have gone well, especially with Datuk Misbun Sidek back as my coach,” said Chong Wei, who will begin his campaign against Frenchman Brice Leverdez on Tuesday. “I have already been in the final three times, I have nothing to lose. What is important now is to focus on my own preparations. I do not want to think too far ahead, I’ll take it one match at a time.”
Lin Dan, on the other hand, doesn’t really need to do anything more to cement his place in badminton’s hall of fame. The two-time Olympic champion once went into a long hiatus after the 2012 London Games only to return to the World Championship on home turf as a wild-card entry and beat Chong Wei in an acrimonious final.
That was his last world title but the world No 7 isn’t done dreaming yet and said, “Obviously, I want to be world champion for a sixth time, that is my dream. However, to achieve it I have to work hard and it definitely will not be easy for me.”
Dream final in the offing
Dan will open his campaign against local hope Kieran Merrilees on Monday and should things go according to plan for these two stalwarts then a summit clash cannot be ruled out. But Chong Wei doesn’t want to think that long and insisted he has to tackle two other Chinese opponents before he could even think of the dream final.
“China have four players, and I will probably play a Chinese in the third round and the quarter-finals,” he said. “This year it’s very tough. In the Olympics you only have two players from a country, but in the World Championships there are four. So I have to focus from the first round onwards.”
If things are getting so difficult then what exactly is still pushing the two to continue facing the rigours of international tour and push them for more success. Dan said, “When I became the ambassador for Laureus Awards, i felt that badminton wasn’t so well know across the globe… I am 33 and Lee Chong Wei 34 and we are probably trying to promote the game in our own small way.”
A potential Lin Dan vs Lee Chong Wei summit clash at the Worlds after a gap of four years could be the perfect promotion in a year when two stalwarts of tennis – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – have brought their careers and rivalry back to life by reinventing themselves.
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