Text by BWF – Dev Sukumar |
There are no extravagant celebrations backstage between Victor Lai and his team on securing a medal for the second time – just high-fives and a quiet word.
It almost looked like they’d finished just any other match on the circuit.
But Lai knows better than to celebrate an unfinished campaign. Tomorrow he goes into the semifinals, the stage which he very nearly crossed last year. This time he’s a more complete player, more experienced, but with greater expectations on his shoulders.
He’s handled it all well so far, closing out each match in straight games. In Friday’s quarterfinals, Rasmus Gemke threw up a strong challenge with his big attack and speed, and it was a close battle in the first. Once Lai had edged him, the Canadian was able to frustrate the Dane with his breathtaking defence on either flank.
“Just so good and very happy that I proved last year wasn’t lucky,” said Lai. “This year I’ve played really well, I had a lot of confidence today. My opponent also had a good tournament, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy. He had some fans and I also had some fans, so it was a really nice atmosphere.
“The first game was big for both of us for confidence and relief. We were both super-nervous as it was the quarterfinals, fighting for a medal and I think, especially for his style, if he had won the first game, the second would have been really difficult for me because you feel once he gets his confidence in his attack, it’s really accurate. After he lost the first game he had a bit more pressure, and there were easier mistakes from him. So the first game was really big.
“Last year’s semifinals definitely haunted me for a while. I’m over it now. Yesterday and today I was leading three match points and I gave up one match point. So I just took the experience from last year and learnt how to adapt and how to play when you have match point and you haven’t won yet. You still have to get 21. It’s not easy to get that last point because your opponent is going to fight too.”
What would be running through his mind over the next few hours?
“I haven’t thought of the next match yet,” he said, as he headed towards his waiting team. “Very happy, very relieved to come through today and guarantee a medal. But for me the priority is to recover my body and take my mind off badminton a bit because the adrenaline is still high – maybe watch some shows or YouTube just to relax a bit, because I do badminton all day. Tomorrow I can’t sleep. I’ve been watching a couple of shows, like The Rookie, it’s a police show. It’s just a fun way to get my mind off badminton.”
Follow Lai’s BWF World Championships Journey Here:
Victor Lai Diary 3: The Campaign Begins
