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Hidayat: Can beat anyone
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

New Delhi: Taufik Hidayat is often described the Ivan Lendl of badminton. Considered one of the biggest stars of his time, the 29-year-old Indonesian has every major trophy in his kitty except the one that is awarded for winning the All-England Championships.

But then, Hidayat is not unduly perturbed by the absence of this prestigious cup in his living room. “Yes, one thing is for sure that I want to win the All-England title like all other top players in the world. But at the same time, I won’t be too sad if it remains elusive in my career,” he said here.

Hidayat suffered back-to-back defeats in the 1999 and 2000 finals of the All England meet,

A former world and Olympic champion, top seeded Hidayat made it to the third round the easy way on Wednesday, routing Ha Anh Le of Hong Kong 21-10, 21-16 within no time. He looked relaxed in the first game but once his opponent tried to increase the pace, the Indonesian came back strongly to finish off the match.

“I don’t know whether I was relaxed in the first game,” said Hidayat. “Perhaps I wanted to reserve my energy for the rest of the tournament. Asked whether he felt confident of winning the title here, Hidayat smiled and said: “I can beat anyone, that’s not a problem for me.”

Widely known for his forehand and backhand smashes, powerful shots and unpredictable mood, Taufik was once recorded for smashing at the speed of 305 km per hour against Ng Wei. “I am not too bothered about what people have to say about me, it doesn’t have an effect on me,” said the Indonesian with a wave of his hand. “I play my own game, in my own way.”

Hidayat, however, is not too sure what he would be doing once he bids farewell to the game.

“I have not given a thought to it yet,” he said. “At the moment, I am enjoying my game. First let me win this tournament. Don’t ask me whether I would be able to beat Lin Dan (Chinese superstar). I am taking one match at a time,” said Hidayat.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100415/jsp/sports/story_12339858.jsp