Lin Dan. He is the defending World and Olympic Champion who strikes terror among his opponents. He smashes at 325 km per hour and is the hardest hitter in the world. He prowls like a panther and is lightning quick on the court. He is adored by his fans as ‘Super Dan’ while many say think he is a temperamental player. In fact in Malaysia, the crowd dubbed him as ‘Super Ungentleman Dan’.
The left-handed Dan is the player to be look out for at the championship. Pullela Gopi Chand, the former All England Champion, believes that Lin Dan is one of the all-time greats of world badminton. “He belongs to a different era where technology plays a big part in a player’s game. In the past, Lim Swie King or Luis Pongoh had the fastest smash that landed at 170 km per hour in the 80s. Now, thanks to the modern rackets, Dan unleashes his smashes at 325 km. He is a feisty player. He is solid in his defence and has deadly smashes. That makes him the most dangerous player of the world,” said Gopi Chand, who had beaten this formidable Chinese player in two straight games once.
Peter Gade, the World No. 3, feels a player has to put in extra 10 per cent when they play against Lin Dan.
When the strong Chinese team walked into the Pullela Gopi Chand Academy for the first time for their preparation for the August 10-16 World Championship, Lin Dan, seeded fifth here, was the cynosure of all eyes. “Sorry there will be no interview.
He should not be disturbed. He will speak at the news conference,” was the curt reply from the Chinese delegation.
The 25-year-old Dan along with other Chinese giants like second seed Chen Jin or 11th seed Bao Chunlai practised for more than two hours. Ling Wang, who was beaten by Saina Nehwal in the Indonesia Super Series, too slogged it out with rigorous training sessions. The Chinese team skipped Friday’s morning session as they arrived late on Thursday.