Even as arch-rival and Malaysian great Lee Chong Wei suffered an early exit in the ongoing BWF World Championships 2017 in Glasgow, seventh seed Lin Dan had been quietly going about his business.
On Saturday, the legendary badminton star turned back the clock as he demolished world number one Son Wan Ho in the semi-final and gave himself a chance to win his sixth world championship title. (PV Sindhu vs Nozomi Okuhara Live stream | Live blog)
Age is a mere number for Lin!
It has been four years since his fifth crown at Copenhagen in 2013 as Lin's younger compatriot Chen Long started dominating the rest of the pack with two back-to-back titles (2014 and 2015) and an Olympic Gold in 2016.
Lin, the world number seven, who had dominated word badminton for more than a decade looked like he had very little left to offer when he failed to defend his Olympic title in Rio de Janeiro last year.
The 33-year-old took a long break from and returned to competitive action only in February 2017 at the German Open where he was ousted in the R16. At the All England Championships, Lin was beaten in the semi-final.
It was in Switzerland Lin found his form, finishing on the top step of the podium at the Grand Prix Gold event. He then followed it up with his maiden Malaysia Superseries Premier title, beating Chong Wei in the final with ease. A runner-up finish at Badminton Asia Championships followed, but he faced early exits in Indonesia and Australia.
The Men's singles final between Lin and Viktor Axelsen is expected to start at 3pm local time/7:30pm IST.
Having had an unusually busy schedule in the lead-up to the world meet, Lin survived scares against Emil Holst and Rajiv Ouseph in the second and third rounds, but he improved as the tournament progressed.
Lin promises 100% in the final
During Saturday's semi-final, Lin was moving swiftly across the court and put on a defensive masterclass. Having not spent much time on the court in the last two matches, the veteran will be confident heading into the big final.
"Everyone is talking about my age, but I have proved I can still play at a high level. Men's singles is very tough these days, it is a very hard route to the final," Lin said after his semi-final match, as quoted by The Straits Times.
He added: "I always feel nervous before big matches, but I am very happy that I have had great support here. I watched Viktor's semi-final and he's playing very well. Tomorrow is the last match and I will be giving 1000 per cent."
Live streaming and TV Coverage
Global Live streaming will be available on BWF's official YouTube channel
India: TV: Star Sports 1/1 HD. Live streaming: Hotstar
UK: TV: BBC. Live streaming: BBC Sport
Malaysia: TV: Astro Supersport. Live streaming: Astro Go
China: TV: LETV, CCTV 5+
Singapore: TV: StarHub. Live streaming: StarHub Go
Live scores can be followed here.
Who is Axelsen, Lin's opponent
Axelsen, the 23-year-old Dane, needed just 39 minutes on Saturday to demolish the reigning world and Olympic champion Chen 21-9, 21-10 and book a place in his maiden World Championships final.
The 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist has been one of the most consistent shuttlers on the men's singles circuit post the Games. The Dane won the Dubai Superseries Finals last year and carried his form into the new season by winning the India Open in March.
Notably, Axelsen has beaten Lin in three of their six meetings. However, in their recent clash at the All England, it was the Chinese legend who won, in three games.
Axelsen should be pumped up after his dream performance against Chen yesterday, but he has to be at his best to trouble the in-form Lin.
The Chinese giant, with his run in Glasgow, has shown the world he is not done yet and that he is hungry for more glory.
