The Roger Federer of badminton
I saw badminton legend Lin Dan play live for the first time at the Yonex Swiss Open in March 2017. The eventual winner of the tournament left a lasting impression on me. An exciting personality - with star allure.
As a two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion, Lin Dan is undisputedly the best player of all time in badminton circles. The organising committee of the Yonex Swiss Open even described him as the "Roger Federer of badminton"! In other words, an absolutely exceptional player.
The Chinese player stands out visually with his many tattoos. The 33-year-old's somewhat dark look, casual gait and casual, almost arrogant style of play are also unique on the court. I did a bit of research on the exceptional player and found out some exciting facts about "Super Dan", as he is known in China.
- Lin Dan is left-handed .- He ends every triumph with a military salute.
- Lin Dan's mother wanted him to become a concert pianist and therefore ordered him to take piano lessons from a very young age. However, the Chinese boy soon decided to take up the sport of badminton.
- In China, Lin Dan is an absolute superstar and a sports idol whose status there can actually be compared to that of Roger Federer in tennis.
- No badminton star has ever earned as much money as Lin Dan. According to the badminton magazine Badzine, he has earned around 10 million dollars a year since his second Olympic gold medal in 2012. Much of this comes from lucrative advertising contracts with brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Coca Cola, Red Bull, Intel, Montblanc and, of course, his equipment supplier Yonex.
- Despite his international career, Lin Dan speaks virtually no English.
- In the final of the 2008 Korean Open, Lin Dan attacked a fellow countryman with a badminton racket because he was unhappy with a match decision. A short time later, he is said to have attacked his own coach during training.
- Lin Dan is the only player within the Chinese Badminton Association who is allowed to play with a Yonex racket. The association stipulates that all players must be equipped with Li-Ning, the official partner of the team. Lin Dan doesn't really care. Thanks to his superstar status, an exception applies to him.
- Despite his star airs and graces, Lin Dan is also very approachable from time to time. At the Swiss Open, for example, he took the tram instead of the limousine to get to the stadium.
By the way, you can find Lin Dan's badminton racket in our range:
. [[product:6191546]]
Here's a little taste of Lin Dan's exceptional talent:
