In November of 2014, I spoke to Kidambi Srikanth over a not so clear phone line from China. He had just experienced the greatest moment of his professional career by beating his childhood hero Lin Dan in the final of his home tournament. It was the first time an Indian male player had won a Super Series title and to add to the luster of the moment, it had come on the birthday of his coach and mentor Pullela Gopichand. Srikanth is a measured, soft-spoken young man but a lilt of excitement seeped through his voice.I had nothing to lose, so I wanted to give my best, Srikanth told me then. When I went into the match, I never thought I could beat him. I had a few strategies in mind, so I thought if I could execute them properly, I had a chance. I felt if I got all my strokes in, a 100 on 100, and make very few mistakes, I could do something. There arent too many weaknesses in his game because he has won more tournaments than anyone else in the history of the game.On Wednesday, at 9.20 am local time in Rio, just 10 minutes short of 6 pm in India, Srikanth faces the onerous task of producing an encore?as he fronts up against Dan in the quarterfinal.Since that heady day Fuzhou, their paths havent crossed. Dan had won their previous two clashes and comfortably at that. He has decimated the field so far at these Olympic games winning his three matches in straight games. Known on the circuit as Super Dan, the 32-year-old won Gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and followed it up with a repeat performance in London in 2012. He has been world champion five times. Hes won the All-England six times. Hes helped China win the Thomas Cup Five times. Just for fun, he has four Asian games Gold medals too.That Lin Dan is a colossus of modern badminton who loves the big stage is clear as daylight. The question is if Srikanth has the tools to upset this rampaging monster of a player. His coach Gopichand, who will have carefully strategised for this moment, was expectedly unwilling to share much insight, offering instead the bare essentials to set up this contest.It will be a tough match, Gopichand said. All we know is that he will give his best, lets see how he performs. All your past records are of no significant value here. It is about who is able to soak in the pressure and who is able to keep the momentum. I think Lin Dan is smart, he knows how to play on the big stage and he will be tough to beat. I think Srikanth will go in with a lot of confidence from his last three matches. Lets see how he does. Hes a good player and hes playing well.After an underwhelming year, Srikanths return to form at these Olympics has been quite encouraging. His upset win over World No. 5 Jan O Jorgensen in the pre-quarters was a reminder of his prowess on the court. Once ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, Srikanths ranking has tumbled just outside the top-10 in recent months at the back of a string of inconsistent performances. Though he started the year by winning the Syed Modi Grand Prix gold title in Lucknow, his results tapered off subsequently.Starting with a second round exit at the All-England championships in March, Srikanth suffered a series of first round defeats at tournaments in India, Malaysia, Singapore and China. He finally showed a flicker of improved form by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open in June. An attacking player by instinct, Srikanth has been carefully nurtured by Gopichand to develop a more all-round game and improve his fitness. In Rio, the effort put on the training court over the last month and a bit has paid off. His first two opponents were brushed aside comfortably in the group stages and the ninth seed stunned Jorgensen by unleashing a ferocious all-out attack that the Dane could not find a retort to.Its a dream come true as Lin Dan is my idol, Srikanth had said after his pre-quarterfinal victory. Its been a long time since I beat him last time in the China Open final, so this will be a new game. China Jerseys Wholesale . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Cheap Jerseys . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. https://www.chinasjerseys.com/ . - The Washington Redskins have cut defensive lineman Adam Carriker and punter Sav Rocca. China Jerseys . 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Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has paid Matthew Dellavedova a stunning compliment, describing the Australian point guard as the best teammate he has played with in the NBA.Antetokounmpo also showered praise on the skills, work ethic and size possessed by the Bucks other Australian, 216cm tall teenager Thon Maker.The Bucks, led by Antetokounmpo who just signed a four-year $US100 million ($A133m) contract extension with the team, are hoping to end 14 years of mediocrity this season and become a force in the NBAs Eastern Conference.Matthew is the best teammate I have ever played with in these four years, 21-year-old Greece-born Antetokounmpo, playing his fourth NBA season, told reporters in a conference call on Monday.The 211cm nicknamed the Greek Freak has quickly built a formidable chemistry with Dellavedova, bamboozling defences with pick and rolls.Dellavedova had a similar rapport in recent seasons with LeBron James on thhe NBA championship-winning Cleveland Cavaliers.ddddddddddddThe Bucks signed Dellavedova in the off-season on a four-year $US38.5 million ($A51m) deal.Everything he does he wants to get it right, Antetokounmpo said of Dellavedova.Antetokounmpo says he sees a lot of himself in 19-year-old rookie Maker, with both players possessing the height of centres and the skills of guards.I try to help Thon a lot off the court and on the court, Antetokounmpo said.He asked What did you do when you came into the league? I told him you have to spend as much time as you can in the gym because the way you are built and your skill set is unbelievable.I think hes going to be a great player and his mindset right now is unbelievable because he is always in the gym.He has great work ethic so for him I think the sky is the limit. ' ' '