Chapter 15 3. Anaheim and Doha do not belong to me

If Athens is only the first step to climb from the so-called "world's number one" to the top, then Anaheim and Doha are like a storm encountered on the way forward.They come oncoming, if you bear them, the whole world belongs to you; if you are defeated, there will be an abyss under your feet. Before 2004, I didn't really play against Taufik.We almost never meet in the finals of major tournaments.And after a bloody battle in the Soviet Cup final in 2005, I was full of expectations for the World Championships that year. The Badminton World Championships rarely left Eurasia and came to Anaheim in Los Angeles, USA.As a result of the lottery, Taufik and I were divided into the upper and lower halves.At that time, Li Zongwei hadn't risen yet, and the men's singles championship was mostly up to the two of us.

Seeing Taufik beat Lee Chong Wei in the semi-finals, or winning Wensa before, you will find that Taufik was in very good condition at the time, and you must pass him if you want to win the championship. But at that time, he didn't really intimidate me, because it was the first time we played against each other in the single final of a major competition, and my understanding of him was still very superficial.What I was thinking at the time was, how do I limit him with the tactics I developed with the coach.But the coach and I overlooked a very important point: we didn't realize that when external factors restricted our performance level, in comparison, Taufik would be much more mature than me.

The result of the game was disastrous.It took only 36 minutes for Taufik to win in straight sets, and even led 13-0 in the first game.This directly led to my collapse on the court, and only 10 points in two rounds.Regarding such a humiliating loss, some fans left a message saying: "Even if you switch to the right hand, you won't lose so badly, right?" "The uncrowned king Lin Dan is obviously a big talker." Even if you lose, don’t suffer like this.” This is Taufik's first men's singles championship at the World Championships. At the same time, he has achieved a "Grand Slam" that combines Olympic, World Championships, and Thomas Cup champions. He is also very happy.Besides, in the final, he still beat me by a complete victory.

"I can't believe how easy it is to get the Grand Slam after waiting for so many years." Taufik said after the game. "The Lin Dan who defeated Gade in the semi-finals and the Lin Dan in the final are completely two people. I can easily mobilize him to control the rhythm of the game. I have prepared many sets of tactics. We have won each other a few times. I pay more attention to the experience learned in the game. For example, in the SU Cup, I learned some from Lin Dan and successfully used it in the subsequent games. His speed is very fast, but my style of play is not too exhausting. , so the prolongation of the game is beneficial to me, and my winning percentage is also higher. But I didn't change any tactics at the beginning, and it was already 13 to 0..." At the press conference after the game, Taufik said this It also made me reflect on myself.

Anaheim's Arrowhead Pool Stadium is very open, it is not a professional badminton stadium.When badminton matches are held in summer, the wind direction of the air conditioner becomes the biggest problem for all players.This also makes Anaheim the place with the most unpopular births in previous World Championships.The U.S. men's doubles championship, New Zealand and Thailand's mixed doubles semi-finals for the first time, have repeatedly demonstrated that the one who can finally win the championship here is not necessarily the strongest, but must be the luckiest.As for the Chinese team, Zhou Mi was eliminated in the first round of women's singles, and Olympic champions Zhang Jun/Gao Ling missed the mixed doubles semi-finals.So strictly speaking, I didn't lose to him in that game, but because my ability at that time was not able to control such a changeable venue.When something as uncertain as the direction of the wind comes along, I find myself easily influenced, losing confidence and letting go.

Under such conditions, only Taufik in his heyday at that time could control it well, and only the top Taufik could control such a venue.In 2005, his skills at that time, to be honest, were indeed more advanced than any other men's singles player, which I admit. Taufik has advanced technology, and most importantly, he has his self-confidence.I found him to be very comfortable, calm and defiant on the court.This is a natural charm exuded by an athlete who has experienced many competitions and won many championships. In fact, the wind direction has no effect on Taufik.He also believes that those who can win the championship at this venue must be the luckiest.But he said: "The wind is so elusive, and I never want to be unpredictable." And he even joked, "I asked a few teammates at the beginning, and found that the wind is in every venue, every The time is different, so I just don't think about it. Lin Dan just thinks too much."

From the day he achieved the Grand Slam, Taufik has aimed at the Beijing Olympics, because no one has ever won the Olympic badminton men's singles champion.However, at that time, I couldn't think so far.However, I still thank Taufik for what he said later: "Don't think that I won easily today, which means something. This is definitely not the real Lin Dan. I was already the number one seed in the 2000 Olympics. Two years later, the Asian Games will have real results, and my Olympic champion is four years away from my world No. 1. Lin Dan is probably on the same path. But if he wants to win the Olympic champion, he has to pass my test. gone."

To be joking, Taufik guessed the ending right back then, but not the process.But I still value some of the lessons Taufik taught me in that game. Compared with the "sudden death" of being out of the first round of the Olympic Games, Lin Dan in the World Championships is undoubtedly a "suicide".However, no matter how painful it is, it can't hurt more than the Olympics.I remember that after the World Championships game, I made a point during the team summary—I told the men’s singles coach and all my teammates that none of the current Chinese athletes have the ability to control the style of play. A venue with uncertainties and no one.After I finished speaking at the time, I believe many people would feel uncomfortable.But I was the best in the Chinese men's singles at that World Championships. I train and compete with them every day. I know them very well. That's really it.

Before leaving for the United States, the 25-day intensive training in Jinjiang, the 100-minute technical training class every day was the time that I cherished the most and devoted myself to the training.Before each competition, the coach will control the amount of training for me.Men may only become great things after experiencing failures and ups and downs. Some coincidences are indeed difficult to explain.When the Jinjiang training camp was about to end, blood blisters appeared on the soles of my feet, and I had to rest in the room for two days.All this is strikingly similar to the training camp in Yiyang before the Athens Olympics.But somewhat different.Lin Dan in Yiyang protected himself wholeheartedly and missed the final team warm-up match; Lin Dan in Jinjiang cherished the last training time too much, tossing himself desperately as soon as he was able to get off the ground.In the team's physical index test, my fatigue index is always at the top, just like my record.The coach later commented to me: Lin Dan has an outgoing personality, it is easy to get out of the state, and it is not difficult to have an accident.

One year later, the Doha Asian Games will be another Huashan debate.The Chinese team faced Indonesia in the group stage and final of the team competition.And I also defeated Taufik twice in a row in three days.However, in the end I still lost the most important men's singles gold medal, and my opponent in the final was Taufik who had just won two consecutive victories. At that time, I had just won the important battle of my career - the World Championships in Madrid three months ago.After becoming the individual world champion, I thought that Lin Dan was more mature at this time than he was a year ago.At that time, everyone including coach Li Yongbo thought that the Asian Games final between me and Taufik would be a 2-0 match.However, they guessed the score correctly, but guessed the outcome wrong.

That night, the entire stadium was crowded with a large number of Indonesian fans, even the steps were full of people, and hundreds of people were blocked outside the railing outside the stadium.On the night of the finals, the entire stadium was almost out of control.Everything is urging me to "quick", the referee is urging me to serve quickly, not allowing me to wipe my sweat or change the ball, which disrupts my own rhythm.I had a really good chance in the second game, 20-17 with three game points.Seeing that the game was about to be dragged into the tiebreaker, Taufik caught up to 20 draws for a while, and finally lost the gold medal I was so eager for with 15 to 21, 20 to 22.In this way, I watched Taufik climb to the top of Asia again after four years. Coincidentally, perhaps it was too much consumption in the team competition, while players from other countries put their energy into the individual competition, and the Chinese women's singles team was also eliminated early that time.Xie Xingfang and Zhang Ning fell in the semi-finals successively, and the final women's singles final became a civil war in Hong Kong, China between Wang Chen and Ye Peiyan. Later, when facing the media, coach Li Yongbo said: "Three fights in just one week, this is probably a record in the world badminton world, which has never been done before. If Lin Dan wins three times, then they are not at the same level. In such continuous high-intensity matches, even if Lin Dan is playing against an ordinary player, he will always lose 10 times. I think it is no problem for Lin Dan to beat Taufik under normal circumstances. He is better than Taufik. be more comprehensive." But I knew in my heart that I had not crossed that hurdle. If the "heart disease" is not eliminated, once the critical moment comes, I will still have some problems. In the 2005 World Championships, I lost to Taufik, and it was a disastrous defeat; in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, I still lost to him, and both games were finals.I found that Taufik was already a hurdle I had to pass, and no one could help me. "I lost again in the Asian Games, and I was even eliminated in the first round of the Olympics, so I will still be nervous in the face of such important competitions in the future." When I made such reflections on the team summary, many teammates Disagree with me.They feel that through hard work, they can eliminate interference and resolve this tension.Of course, I understand them.But sometimes, a theory is a theory after all, and it will be different for everyone.I honestly told myself what I felt, told my coaches, including my teammates, and I said, "I'm still going to be nervous because that's a championship I've never got my hands on. I'm definitely going to be nervous." After the Asian Games, Cai Zhenhua, deputy director of the State Sports General Administration, was very concerned about me, and he also asked me what happened.He said: "I want to see your summary, the summary of the final of the 2006 Doha Asian Games." Through the conversation with Cai Ju, I also asked myself: "If every major opponent of mine plays so well in the 2008 Olympic Games or in future major competitions, what should I do? When the score starts to fall behind, or When the opponent played very well that day, what was I thinking? Was it because I was afraid and didn’t dare to fight anymore? Or, is there any room for improvement in my tactics?” In 2006, Taufik gave me A long list of question marks was left.

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