Beijing: The 35-year-old Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer who won his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open by beating Rafael Nadal in a thrilling five-setter on Sunday has instilled some extra motivation for two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan.
Lin Dan paid tribute to Federer’s historic career in tennis by posting a message on his social media page on Sunday.
“Congratulations to Federer on the 18th, hope for my own 20th, let’s go.”
20th title for Lin Dan means he is eyeing for his own 20th world title that could be interpreted in the form of Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Olympics, or World Championships. The last world title Lin Dan won was the 2015 Sudirman Cup where Lin Dan beat Takuma Ueda of Japan 21-15, 21-13, spearheading China to overcome Japan 3-0 in the final.
Rumors about Lin Dan considering retirement has been swirling around for a while after his Rio Olympic disappointment, not to mention about his extra marital affair that took the badminton by storm last November. These unfortunate circumstances could have brought an abrupt end to his career.
Nonetheless, the message he posted on his social media page showed signs of the great determination of Lin Dan, and badminton fans should expect an ageless and stronger Lin Dan in 2017.
