Lin Dan has everything, says Chong Wei’s coach

The man behind Lee Chong Wei’s successes: Tey Seu Bock

Watching Lee Chong Wei practice, one wouldn’t make out that he’s just gone through yet another heart-wrenching loss. The world No. 1 jokes and laughs around as he goes about his workout with Mumbai Masters teammate Vladimir Ivanov. There’s nothing to suggest that, just over a fortnight ago, he lost the World Championships final to arch-rival Lin Dan – another opportunity to bury his personal demons gone.

Perhaps it’s a mask to hide the pain. Or perhaps he’s just like that, able to let bygones be bygones. Perhaps he doesn’t measure himself – as we assume he must – with whether he wins an Olympic gold or the World Championships. We assume that those will be his ultimate validation as a ‘great’ player. But perhaps he is comfortable in his skin, and looks at his performances in their real perspective – this is sport, not war.

One man has been his closest aide during his recent campaigns is coach, Tey Seu Bock. A middle-aged man who sits slouched and with shoulders slumped; so different from other athletic-looking coaches, he provides the inputs for Chong Wei’s successes. As a coach, he monitors the world No.1’s training schedule, match preparation and strategies during a match. How does he help his prodigal trainee cope with the pressure?

“Of course there’s pressure,” he says. “But you cannot complain… you are world No.1, you have to take it. It’s not easy. Malaysia’s a small country, compared to China. There are plenty of players in China. In Malaysia, we have only one player.”

Lin Dan is a name that will be tied to Chong Wei forever. No mention of Chong Wei is complete without adversary, for they are the two outstanding contemporary practitioners of this sport. Why has Lin Dan managed to win nearly every major encounter between them? Seu Bock says, among other things, it comes down to big-match experience.

“Maybe Lin Dan started having results when he was younger, but Lee Chong Wei began to get results only after he was 24 or 25,” Seu Bock says. But it isn’t like it’s been easy for Lin Dan either. “Earlier, Lin Dan used to have it easy against Lee Chong Wei, but in the last few years, it’s been very difficult for Lin Dan. Every match has gone to a rubber set. The level is almost similar.”

What does Lin Dan have that Chong Wei doesn’t? To Tey Seu Bock, the equation lies in not just the skills, but in the requirement of victory. Chong Wei plays Superseries after Superseries, winning nearly every event he enters. Lin Dan picks and chooses, and is exempt from that pressure. Seu Bock talks of Lin Dan without envy or bitterness. He acknowledges that perhaps the Chinese great does have some abilities that even Chong Wei cannot acquire.

“Lin Dan has everything (badminton ability). The way of thinking is different. For Lee Chong Wei, he has to get past every round, but for Lin Dan, it doesn’t matter even if he loses in first round. Lin Dan is mentally very strong, it’s not easy to get (that quality), and he’s a fantastic player. Chong Wei is also strong mentally, but you cannot make him just like Lin Dan. If you produce one car, you cannot make another exactly like that.

“I think the whole world would find it difficult to produce (another) Lin Dan or Lee Chong Wei. This is what we call limited edition. So these two are limited edition. So it’s difficult… how many years it’s taken to produce them. It’s not easy if you want to produce. Even China, it’s so big, but even they have only one Lin Dan. Malaysia is such a small country, and it’s not easy to produce another Lee Chong Wei. You have to see the player from young, whether they have potential, natural skill… Chong Wei from when he was young had natural skill and attitude.”

Seu Bock knows that his trainee is under relentless scrutiny. Every match of Chong Wei is dissected and analysed. “It’s natural to study,” he says. “Every country will study Lee Chong Wei. I have to do my homework also. Everybody does that. China worries about Lee Chong Wei, because he will go to every tournament. But Lin Dan, if he’s not happy, will not go. China and Malaysia have different styles.”