Lee Chong Wei now wants to go for ultimate glory

Datuk Lee Chong Wei is like a dancer on the court — nimble, graceful and supremely athletic. In the normal course of events, just watching him would bring great joy. But now more than ever, if you are a badminton fan, you should follow his progress. Before you ask why, consider this: the presence of three “musketeers” from China – Lin Dan, Chen Jin and Chen Long – has long meant that come the big tournaments, it’s tough to beat the Chinese. But despite that, last week Lee accounted for his sixth title of the year by winning the Indonesian Open for an impressive third time in a row — the Super Series Masters Final, Malaysia Open, All-England, India Open and the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold being the other wins in his kitty in 2011. That’s quite a haul even for Lee; that’s quite a haul in any professional sport. It also shows he is at the peak of his powers, but he isn’t satisfied. Indeed, why should he be? Despite becoming World No.1 for the first time in 2006, he hasn’t been able to win the World Championship and with this year’s event just round the corner in August, the Malaysian star isn’t about to let his concentration waver. He’s already made five trips to the World championships; five failed trips. And that still hankers him. Heralded as an icon in his home country Malaysia, Lee is considered to be the most successful singles badminton player the country has ever produced. He cemented his place as the best by winning a silver at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Lee was awarded the Datukship — a federal title in Malaysia — for this performance. Thereafter, people joked, Lee Chong Wei a.k.a LCW meant Let China Win, but now that he has got the name Datuk Lee Chong Wei a.k.a DLCW means Don’t Let China Win keeping in view the long standing badminton rivalry between China and Malaysia (or should I say the rest of the world). Originally drawn towards basketball, his hopes came crashing down when his mother banned him from the outdoor sport. But as fate would have it, the 11-yr old landed up at the badminton courts. He immediately caught the eye of the local coach who identified him as a natural. [caption id=“attachment_34951” align=“alignleft” width=“320” caption=“The only major title eluding Lee Chong Wei is the World Championships and the Malaysian would be looking to set the record straight next month. MN Chan/Getty Images”] [/caption] Lee is a master with most badminton techniques. His extraordinary speed, quick reflexes and efficiency around the court set him apart from the rest.  He is quite the entertainer, too. He often dives with an outstretched racket to retrieve the opponent’s smash, and smoothly gets back on his feet to continue the rally . Though predominantly a defensive player, his body balance after executing attacking strokes, especially his signature forehand cross court jump smash, is impeccable. His strategic defending, deceptive strokes and immense shuttle control have helped him perform consistently at the highest level. When asked about his strengths, he replied: “I would say it is the explosiveness that I possess in my game. Like a crouching tiger waiting to pounce on its prey.” So, one may wonder if he has a weakness at all? He has been accused of not being mentally strong to deliver on big occasions. Hence, the pressure was on him when he failed to win major tournaments. However, in 2010, he silenced his critics by winning the All-England Championship, a feat he repeated in 2011. Lee’s performances are not the only things being written about. His cars, his girlfriends and the clubs he parties at are all in the news. He currently drives the expensive Nissan GTR, an engineering marvel that many car lovers say is like a Japanese Ferrari. Lee’s affair with his girlfriend of nine years, teammate Wong Mew Choo was also well publicised. After his break-up with Wong, he was rumoured to be dating Wang Lin from China and then Hwang Hye-Youn of Korea with the most recent rumour being that he was in relationship with Chinese World No. 2 Wang Yihan. Malaysian players are known to stray after they achieve a certain degree of fame. Lee has the fame and a lot more. Lee has already achieved an annual income that exceeded RM1 million (approximately $0.3M), which is a substantial amount for a sport like badminton. When asked what he’d do with all the wealth in the world, he answered, “I’d go crazy (laughs). I wouldn’t know what to do with all that money. To me, health is much more important than money or power.” His coach Misbun Sidek, rated among world’s leading men’s singles players of the 1980s, reaffirmed this when he described Lee as one of his most disciplined pupils, saying Lee was willing to slog all the way in training before every tournament in order to reach his peak. He said: “Chong Wei would give 100 per cent and if he lost a match, it would not be because he didn’t give his best but for other reasons such as injuries or fatigue. It takes a strong person to keep winning one tournament after another,” he said. Despite being World No. 1, Lee is often overshadowed by the immensely talented World No. 2 Lin Dan from China. Olympic champion Dan is hailed as a Chinese wizard who is in contention to be the best player who has ever played this game. The rivalry between these two players is akin to Federer-Nadal competitions — two contrasting styles of play, each proficient and capable of beating the other. The head-to-head record between these two great players is 15-8 in Lin Dan’s favour though Lee got the better of Dan in their previous meeting in finals of the All-England this year. With his current top form, Lee is looking forward to getting past Lin Dan at the World Championships next month as there is every likelihood that these two will feature in the finals. This will be Lee’s sixth attempt at the title. He feels this tournament could be special as 6 is his lucky number (the number plates on his cars are 6 and his latest house address is No. 6). “Six has been a lucky number for me. I am going for my sixth world meet and, hopefully, I will be lucky enough to win it this time,” he said. Lucky or just very good. Having announced his decision to retire after the 2012 Olympics, for Lee, it will be a case of taking it any way it comes. There may not be another chance.