Gade, who said he would to retire at his peak after next year’s London Olympics, said he hoped more young shuttlers from Denmark and Indonesia would rise to challenge Lee, China’s Lin, Taufik and himself, who had consolidated their place in the world’s top five.

“What divides the ordinary players and the best ones is the mentality. You need to deal with the consequences of losing [so that] you can be on top at the next tournament,” said Gade, whose next main target is winning the world championships, after having to settle for bronze yet again last year in Paris.

Gade pointed out that although technically skillful, many in the current crop of young shuttlers, especially from Indonesia, easily crumbled when under pressure.

“It takes too little to bring them out of their state [of mind]. They are a bit shaky when things go against them. In the men’s singles, you will have things going against you as it is a tough discipline. It will never be easy. During a game, there will be ups and downs, you will have to fight,” he said.

Gade also highlighted the larger financial support urgently needed to successfully develop badminton. “Denmark’s [badminton development] budget hasn’t changed in 15 years, while China’s is 10 times larger, maybe more. China, Malaysia and Korea bring a lot of money [to the game].”

Chinese shuttlers undeniably dominate the badminton world, with Chen Long, Chen Jin and
Du Pengyu among the world’s top 10 men’s singles players. Gade said it would take at least five to
10 years for countries like Denmark and Indonesia to challenge China’s monopoly in the men’s singles game.

Gade said that as part of his post-retirement plan, where he hoped to cut down on traveling and focus more on his wife Camilla Hoeg and two daughters, he expected to contribute to the development of Danish badminton by getting involved in coaching.

He said he was considering repeating the youth he worked on in the past during his injuries 10 years ago, where he briefly coached current world number 14 Jan O Jorgensen and world number 23 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus.

Not only known for his sportsmanship, Gade is also known for being approachable and open to fans. On a morning walk to the Istora indoor stadium in Jakarta, Gade was stopped by a group of youngsters seeking autographs and wanting to pose with him for photographs.

Despite the day’s tough match against Taufik awaiting him, he was openly willing to entertain them.

Gade manages his own official Facebook page that he frequently updates himself.

“I don’t mind sharing my views and my way of living. Sometimes in the stadium, it can be very tiring, but that’s just part of the game. With Facebook, I can sit at home and [fans] can ask me questions,” Gade said, adding that he hoped to upgrade his site, which currently has close to 40,000 followers
from across the world, including
Indonesia.

— JP/Agnes Winarti

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