Lin Dan waits to enjoy game

GUANGHZOU, South China - There is no such thing as a perfect life for anyone, not even for Olympic and three-time world champion Lin Dan.

Lin Dan

The 27-year-old armyman, arguably the best men's singles player in badminton world, has conquered all the renowned world competition one can name, the Olympic Games, the world championships, the Thomas Cup, the Surdiman Cup, the World Cup, the Super Series and so on.

But Lin found himself still not able to start enjoying the game.

"When I look back at my teammates, I will want to give all my best, Lfor them," said Lin after beating long-time rival and Indonesian ace Taufik Hidayat 21-13, 23-21 in the men's team semifinal at the Asian Games here on Sunday.

"Unlike me, Taufik is fully enjoying his game now," added Lin.

Taufik, 2004 Athens Olympic champion and 2005 world champion, is quite similar in terms of sport achievement but when it comes to personal life, the two are on different roads.

The 29-year-old was married in 2006 and had his daughter in 2007 before the Indonesian "bad boy" welcomed a baby boy several months ago.

"I am enjoying my game now. If I win, I am happy. If I lose, it is no problem. Just four or even two years ago, I cared much about whether I can win a title, but now it is different," said Taufik after his defeat by Lin.

Whereas for Lin, the Chinese leading shuttler can never follow suit.

"There is no pressure on him but I can always feel the responsibility," said Lin. "Now is the Asian Games and there will be the Olympics which push me to keep working hard."

Lin's most recent goal is to help the team defend the team title in Asian Games and the next big one will be the London Olympics which is probably why he kept pushing off his wedding day.

"I am still young so getting married is not on my agenda yet," said Lin whose girl friend and former teammate Xie Xingfang has retired after winning a silver medal in the Beijing Olympic Games.

"As an athlete, I need to focus on my training and competition," said Lin, worrying that family may distract him as it does to Taufik.

"I hope one day that I can start enjoying the game like Taufik does, I just don't know when," he added.