Lin Dan interview: None of the Chinese players are geniuses

One of the popular theories about four-time world champion Lin Dan is that his mother wanted him to learn piano and the boy wanted to play badminton and prevailed. However, the rhythm and the artistry stayed with him.

Watching the 28-year-old in action is like experiencing a dance concert where every movement is measured and rhythmic with a sudden rush of energy at the climax when he brings out the jump smash to finish a point.

The trademark style and on-court intelligence has earned him the nickname ‘super’ Dan from his fans. But the Olympic champion insists that he is no genius.

“Not just me. None of the Chinese players are geniuses. But everyday they practice very hard. Chinese athletes make more efforts than any other national athletes,” said Dan, who is bidding to become the first male singles player to retain the Olympics gold in London later this year.

Explain it further, he said, “Every successful player must need cultivation and accumulation for a long time before growing up, including techniques and tactics, psychology and experiences etc during the match, so do I.”

“I think I am rather lucky and could realise my dream by constant persistence and hardworking. If you ask what motivates me to make continuous progress and win the match, I think it is the sporting spirit of persistently pursuing our dreams," he added.

Dan may have required all this but there is no denying the fact that the 28-year-old matured faster than his compatriots and has managed to stay on the top despite a battery of top class badminton players coming out of the Chinese stable every year.

Dan’s domination of the badminton circuit over the last four years have given birth to the debate over whether he is one of the best shuttlers of all eras. There can be no definitive answer to that debate but one cannot deny that the southpaw’s name in the badminton Hall of Fame has been carved in stone.

In the last decade, he has won four world championships, Olympics and Asian Games gold, five All England titles, two Asian championships, Super Series Masters final and many more.

Despite all this, Dan has very rarely been ranked number one in the world and the Chinese shuttler doesn’t feel that it was ever important. “I think becoming a champion is more important than ranking. When I go out I always play to win.”

That is precisely why Dan has reduced his appearance on the international competition in the last few years as he battled injuries and looked to stay in top physical shape for the upcoming Olympics. “I am focusing all my attention to Olympic preparations. As every player has a limited career and you will never know what would happen tomorrow,” he added.

The last four years have been rather eventful for one of the biggest badminton stars in China. His relationship with fellow player Xie Xingfang and the eventual marriage kept the media on their prowl and Dan actually lost his cool when the media published news of their wedding and told them that it was his personal life and they had no business following him and Xie.

On the badminton court, the rivalry between Dan and Malaysia’s world number one Lee Chong Wei has brought many more eyeballs to the sports world over.

In the 2011 world championship final, played at the same venue where the badminton event of the London Olympics will be held, Dan saved two match points in the decider to beat Chong Wei and stay in hunt for another grand double of World Championship and Olympics gold.

Though Dan admits that winning the gold medal again would be an icing on the cake for his decade long career, he would prefer to leave behind a different kind of legacy.

“In my heart of hearts, I prefer to reach out to more people through my game and help them understand the game. Maybe in the future, they would begin to play badminton and even their friends or children may love this sport, which has more profound significance for me than the gold."

“In my opinion, despite the great significance of the gold medal, the underlying significance of the medal means more than the gold itself,” he added.

Every badminton lover would like to see his dream become a reality.