Tattooed, product in his hair and a besotted army of reporters from his homeland in tow, Lin Dan gave an insight into why he's regarded as the wild child of badminton when he didn't want to do any interviews at the launch of the Australian Open in Sydney this week.
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The 31-year-old, whose feats to win two Olympic gold medals, five world championships and the "super grand slam" - the world's nine badminton majors - have helped make Dan a superstar to China's 1.357 billion people and millions of others around the world.
And he loves the attention. He's worn a T-shirt with a picture of himself while training, throws his shoes, shirts and racquets into the crowd to celebrate a victory despite his opponents thinking it's a sign of arrogance and seems to handle his nickname 'Super Dan' with ease.
He stunned the media horde, many of whom travelled to cover the Open which begins at Sydney Olympic Park on Tuesday, when, after posing for photos with the Opera House in the background, Dan insisted training and not sound bites was his priority ahead of competing in a tournament which will be broadcast live to 300 million homes, offers $US750,000 ($959,000) prizemoney and priceless qualifying points for next year's Olympic Games.
The athlete who NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres compared to having David Beckham or Roger Federer in the house, only relented when it was suggested the tournament he was the star attraction for would struggle to receive local coverage if he walked off.
As a player known for temper tantrums that make John McEnroe look like a church mouse - he allegedly punched his own coach when he lost a match just months after appearing as though he threw his racquet at an opponent's trainer during the Korea Open Super Series - Super Dan displayed welcome restraint by politely relenting.
Through a translator he made it clear he followed the right path by taking up badminton rather than the piano, as his parents desired, when he was five and that his aggressive style of play was simply someone who wanted to be the best.
"The strategy is because the level between the top players is very close," he said of his on-court demeanour. "I have to be more patient to win the final game. When I play at the Olympics I feel pressure. I'm representing China, I have the responsibility for all these people - I have to win."
