"Super Dan" is not superman, says Chinese head coach

Chinese head coach Li Yongbo said that he had no worries for world number one Lin Dan, who missed a point in China's 4-1 win over Malaysia at badminton Sudirman Cup on Thursday.

Holders China, who already advanced into semifinals on the strength of 5-0 thrashing of Thailand and England, had been expected to present another whitewash in their final Group A match against Malaysia, but Asian champion Lee Chong Wei surprised Lin 21-17, 21-17 in the final game of men's singles.

It was the first time since the 2003 final that China had not won a Sudirman Cup match 5-0.

China's Lin Dan checks his racket during his badminton match against Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei at the Sudirman Cup World Team Badminton Championships in Glasgow, Scotland June 14,2007.[Reuters]
"Don't think of him as a superman," Li said of the 23-year-old, known as "Super Dan" for his talents.

"Since we have qualified for the semifinals and already won the match with four points in hand, Lin might feel relaxed and it's not necessary for him to win his game."

"It's not saying he didn't take the game seriously. He just didn't play his best. He's not a superman."

However, the Chinese leading shuttler did not utter a word after his defeat and walked directly into the changing room through a batch of Chinese reporters who wanted to interview him.

Lin has been a frequent visitor to the top of the world rankings but tended to have under-par performance in major events.

He suffered a shock opening round exit in the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and the 2005 world championships final became a nightmare as he was routed 3-15, 7-15 by arch rival Taufik Hidayak of Indonesia.

"Lee is better prepared than Lin. He wanted to prove himself and kind of changed his game. The defeat is a good thing to Lin and he will learn from it," Li said.

"Looking to the semifinals, I might make minor changes to our lineup because of injury and fitness. But definitely I still have confidence in Lin. He has been steady in team competition."

China, who will meet South Korea in Saturday's semifinals, are hot favorites to retain the title and Li was confident to win their sixth Sudirman Cup.

"It would be the breaking news if China could not win the tournament," he said.