Ray

I managed to watch the match last night. It was close. It was also one of the best singles finals I have ever seen in terms of the quality of rally. It wasn’t a nailbiter of a match, but netherless superb quality.

You asked the question what would I have told Lin Dan at the break in the second game? Well, here goes…

Personally I feel Lin Dan was a yard short in his movement compared to previous years, however he still demonstrated at times that he has the speed. I think he was too content to play at a slower pace and I would have asked him to pressure LCW by increasing the pace.

Second, Lin Dan seemed to play far too many shuttles onto LCW’s forehand side and yet still didn’t move his base forward to pressure the net. This opened LCW’s cross court slice which caught Lin Dan too many times.

I also felt that he didn’t attack very much in the game. If you look at the final from 2009 see how much more Lin Dan smashed compared to this final.

These are the things I’d initially ask him to change. He had the mental edge and I think he gave it to LCW by not pressuring especially on the big points.

That said, it could also be that Lin Dan had an off day. Another 5 % and the result could have been different.

Paul

Thanks Ray

I get the feeling that the fire has gone from Lin Dan these days and therefore he’s not always “up” for the occasion. I watched his match against Zwiebler at All Englands and couldn’t belive he dropped a game. He didn’t seem to have his usual clinical finish which gave me cause for concern. It could have been a way of saving himself for the final, but he won in 3 games rather than 2 so to me he spent more time and energy on court.

When the top 4 players in the world retire after Olympics it’s going to be interesting to see which players rise to fill this huge void. Don’t expect to see any British players – we simply aren’t good enough!

Paul

Ed

I think Gabby White and Jenny Wallwork have a chance of making it but they need to be fitter, stronger, more consistent.

Robertson needs to be sacked. Clarke is perhaps our best male but he needs to work on his fitness and lose some weight. Sadly, I don’t think he will.

There’s one or two younger players who may improve but I don’t see them challenging the best on a regular basis.

Ouseph has improved a lot and I hope he will break into top 10. But, he still looks unfit at times and too slow. He also needs to sharpen his overall game, but I like him and hope he goes further.

Paul

Matthew

I agree with you about Blair. I think he’s had a bad deal from BE because he’s not liked by Robertson. Sadly, it would seem that Robertson is calling the shots at BE. To me this signals he really needs to be sacked.

Agree with you about Ouseph too.

Paul