A changed man

Dressed in simple T-shirt, jeans and a light down jacket, Lin Dan slips into the courtyard suite at Aman at the Summer Palace in Beijing, with little fanfare. If not for his management and assistant, it might almost have been possible to miss the world's greatest badminton player. Almost, but not quite.

Even without his badminton racquet in hand, there's something striking about the 1.78m wiry young man with well-defined cheekbones and thick eyebrows. He has obviously been working on his tan and the light shadow of a moustache adds an air of maturity to his demeanour.

But he's a much quieter, reflective persona than his bad-boy reputation on the courts would have us believe. Perhaps, it's also because the Fujian native, who turns 30 this October, has just embarked on his new role as husband to fellow badminton player Xie Xingfang.

"Marriage has changed things. I have my own family now. In the past, my family made a lot of sacrifices. We never got to spend much time together because I was always training. I think now I need to spend as much time as I can with them. This is the life I should have. It should not all be about badminton," he says.

"Before I turned 30, through a lot of hard work and support, I won many badminton titles. But after turning 30, Lin Dan should change that mindset and start in a new direction, and do things that are more meaningful."

Lin first picked up a badminton racquet when he was five years old and there has been no looking back since. His parents, who had been keener for him to take up the piano, were persuaded by a family friend to let him pursue his love of the game. He joined the sports troop of the People's Liberation Army - he holds the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel - at the age of 13 and has been part of China's national badminton team since 2001.