Lin thinks of using smile to thaw intensity with Hidayat

By Cruz Fang (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-01-17 09:12

Without words of revenge, world No.1 Lin Dan quoted a chivalrous Chinese poem to show his willingness to mend fences with Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.

"Taufik is a great opponent. When we meet again, we should be like what's described in the poem - 'A smile at encounter melts revenge '". Lin told Shenyang Today before leaving for the star-studded Malaysia Open on January 14, 2007.

The world's top-ranked Chinese lost the men's singles final to Hidayat after twice defeating the Olympic champion in men's matches at the Doha Asian Games.

The draw of the Malaysian Open is to see the arch rivals meet in the first round. The expected clash triggered great interest in the host country Malaysia, whose world No. 2 and three-time Open winner Lee Chong-Wei is in the other half.

Hidayat, who was docked ranking points and prize money after storming out mid-match against Lin in August, has described Lin as "arrogant" and refused to buckle before the Asian Games.

But Lin played down his rivalry with Hidayat, saying "my stay at the tournament has become more meaningful because of an opponent like Hidayat."

"I know (the unfriendly words of Hidayat) may not be what he originally meant. Sometimes a word is turned into a story and ties become stiff." Lin said. "But it's really not good if we meet without saying hello."

Meanwhile, Hadayat also dismissed it as a normal first round Open match. But Hadayat said a it would be revenge for real if Lin defeats him in the next Asian Games.



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