On the international badminton circuit,when players, many a generation younger,run into Peter Gade,either on the sidelines of an event or after being outclassed from the other side of court,they ask the Dane,in good humour,about his retirement plans. Koreas Park Sung Hwan,the sixth seed at the India Open Super Series,became the latest shuttler to be humbled by the touch play,power and anticipation of the old man of world badminton. Hwan,at 26 is eight years younger than Gade. He would have left the court frustrated and bewildered,feelings he must have experienced not for the first time after having played Gade in a big tournament. At last years Korean Open Super Series,Gade,after losing the first game,outplayed the local hero in the quarterfinals. On Saturday too,the Dane had to fight back in the course of a 21-15,21-19 win. Gade was 6-12 down in the second game. If Hwan entertained thoughts of running away with the game,he hadnt watched Gade save three match points against Japans Kazushi Yamada in the second game of the first round. After tamely losing the first game and being stretched to 22 points in the second against Yamada,Gade clearly found an extra gear to outclass the Japanese in the third. But the battle to outlast and beat younger players is only one of the challenges Gade faces. He didnt have the luxury of picking the brains of a coach or having a physiotherapist or a trainer help him stay match-ready during the semifinals or the quarterfinals,a luxury players from the Asian powerhouses enjoy. In the match against Yamada,Gades teammate,a two-time All-England champion,Tine Baun was at courtside to help with strategy. But on Saturday,Gade was on his own as Baun,after losing in the second round had left for home. The two top Danes had to spend money from their own pocket to travel to India as the national badminton association didnt sponsor this trip. Though Denmark has a popular tradition of badminton,funds at the disposal of the players have always been limited. The former World No.1 has to dig deep into his experience to manage his body,chalk out tactics during tournaments. And that is what he is doing in this tournament. On Saturday Gade wiped off the six-point deficit against Hwan in the second game to come level at 12-12. He fell behind just once after that at 13-12. As always he was a popular winner. He threw a racquet and jersey into the crowd and signed autographs courtside after entering the final. Even before he could cool down,his phone was buzzing. Sitting on the blue mats next to the stringers enclosure,Gade got on the line to relay match details of his win over Koreas Park Sung Hwan. The national broadcaster in Copenhagen was airing Gades comments after he entered his first final in 18 months. Chong Wei awaits Gade will face a daunting task on Sunday against World No.1 Lee Chong Wei,a player who enjoys an 11-1 record against him. It is as huge a challenge as Gade would have faced. Gade says it is precisely these challenges that keep him going. Among them is winning the World Championship and the Olympics. I still retain the desire to improve every day. Winning the world championship is a dream and so is an Olympic medal. But the challenge for me is to stay injury free because nowadays it takes longer for me to recover. But I still feel young, Gade said. Outclassed by the senior statesman of badminton,Hwan,the Korean,would probably agree.
