Guoyu's performance at the Danish Open was mixed. In women's singles, women's doubles, mixed doubles and some men's singles events, national badminton players have shown strong strength and competitiveness, among which Olympic champion Chen Yufei reached the final four with a wave of 2-0 quick victories, showing his super state after recovery. However, in the men's doubles event, Guoya encountered an unprecedented dilemma, with all four pairs out in the first round, the most notable of which was the veteran duo of Zhao Junpeng/Liu Guolun, who lost 1-2 against Japan's Kenta Nishimoto/Yudai Watanabe and did not qualify.
Zhao Junpeng/Liu Guolun are the final straw for the men's doubles, they are the only pair with world championship experience and the only pair that can compete with the world's top pairs. They were placed in the semi-zone of the Japanese pair of Kenta Nishimoto/Yudai Watanabe, Olympic silver medalists and currently the second ranked pair in the world, at the Danish Open. The two pairs have met three times before, and neither Zhao Junpeng/Liu Guolun has ever won.
In this match, Zhao Junpeng/Liu Guolun played a tenacious fighting spirit, and they narrowly won 22-20 in the first game, showing the stability and composure of the veteran. But over the next two sets, they were gradually suppressed by their opponents, losing 11-21 in the second and 19-21 in the third. Throughout the match, Zhao Junpeng/Liu Guolun's physical strength was significantly inferior to their opponents, especially in the transition between front of the net and backcourt, and they were often caught off guard by their opponents. And they did not play the attack and cooperation they were good at, but were led away by their opponents.
The result of this match completely lost the hope of the men's doubles in the Danish Open. Three pairs have been eliminated before, namely Chen Baiyang/Liu Yi, Liu Yuchen/Ou Yiyi and He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu. These combinations are all new or young combinations, and they are inferior to their opponents in terms of strength and experience. The men's doubles suffered four consecutive defeats at the Danish Open, which caused doubts and controversy from the outside world. Some people think that the men's doubles have been completely reduced to a weak brigade and have no competitiveness; Some people think that the men's doubles are undergoing blood exchange and reconstruction, which will take time and patience; Some people also think that there is still hope for the men's doubles of the national badminton, but it is necessary to find the right partner and tactics.
I personally believe that the current situation of the men's doubles is a complex issue, with both objective and subjective factors. Objectively, the men's doubles have suffered a series of changes in recent years, such as the dissolution of Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen, the retirement of Zhang Nan, and the injury of Li Longda/Liu Cheng, which has led to a significant decline in the strength of the men's doubles. Moreover, the men's doubles are also facing strong challenges from Japan, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei and other countries and regions, and the men's doubles combinations in these countries and regions have excellent technology and speed, making the men's doubles difficult to overcome. Subjectively, there are also some problems in the selection and training of the men's doubles, such as not discovering and cultivating new talents in time, not arranging the game plan reasonably, and not finding a tactical style that suits them, which has led to the lack of direction and motivation for the development of the men's doubles.
I believe that if the men's doubles want to get out of the predicament, they need to start from the following aspects:
The first is to strengthen the selection and training, discover and reserve more potential young players, give them more opportunities and exercises, and let them grow and mature as soon as possible.
The second is to strengthen partners and cooperation, find the most suitable partner for themselves, establish tacit understanding and trust, and form their own characteristics and styles.
The third is to strengthen tactics and techniques, learn from and draw on the advantages and strengths of opponents, improve their offensive and defensive capabilities, and enhance their own changes and creativity.
The fourth is to strengthen psychology and confidence, correct their mentality and position, do not be afraid of any opponent, do not give up any hope, and maintain their fighting spirit and resilience.