Taufik Hidayat makes headlines on and off the badminton court, a perfect combination of attractiveness and mentality of always trying to do his best on court with a temperament and passion for badminton that perhaps, could only be rivaled by another racket legend, John McEnroe.
Born in Bandung, West Java, 10 August 1981, Taufik Hidayat always has a passion in playing sports, especially badminton. Whether it was driven by his father, who himself was a former local badminton player, or just by his personal interest in the sport. Ever since he was 9 years old he always went through the 2 hours drive from his house in Pengalengan, in the suburbs of Bandung, to the downtown area of the city, sometimes even forced to go out of the car by his father, and walk halfway to the training compound, so that he could practice an extra hour by walking.
There, he went through a gruelling 6 hours of training each day, without a miss. The intensive sessions turn into a successful one when he was seen by a talent scout and succeeded in earning his spot in the national squad (PBSI) in the tender age of 16.
He began to make a name for himself at the same age, when he won his first Grand Prix Tournament at The Brunei Open. He then followed his success two years later by being the number one seeded player for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The lost during the Sydney Olympics, in turn, ignited his drive and passion to be a winner.
Being hailed as the next big thing in the world of Badminton has made him a household name, especially in Indonesia. Every antics and going-ons, both in his public and private life, seems to take precedence over his achievement on court. People hailed him as a hero if he wins, and dismiss all of his achievements if he fails. Marriage to Armi Gumelar in 2006 and the birth of his daughter, Natarina Alika Hidayat on 3 August 2007 does not seemed to decreased noises from the press.
He was considered badminton’s elite player that doesn’t seemed to shine when faced to play in big tournaments. All of it soon changed after that pivotal moment, when he won the men’s gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, defeating South Korea's Shon Seung-Mo in two games (15-8, 15-7), and keeping intact Indonesia's streak of winning badminton gold at each Olympics since the sport was introduced in 1992.
He plays with such smoothness, coolness and suave. He shows no emotion in court while playing, unless he contests a call. He can also be moody in the court. If he's not in the mood to play, he couldn't care less if he lose, but if he's in the mood, he is absolutely at his best. One should also remember that he is still the only badminton singles player who won the Olympic Gold and World Badminton Championship back to back and holds the record as the fastest backhand smash, which has been clocked over 200km/hour.
The nation and the world will be sure to have high expectations and putting their hopes on him continuing his achievements. A huge pressure indeed to be put on the shoulder of such a young man, but nevertheless, one that we sure he’s capable in answering.
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