Taufik Hidayat (born 10 August 1981) is an Indonesian retired badminton player who is the current Deputy Minister for Youth and Sport of Indonesia. He is a former World champion, Olympic gold medalist, two time Asian Games gold medalist, and three time Asian champion. He is a 6 time Indonesia Open winner. Known as 'Mr Backhand', he is considered one of the greats in men's singles badminton.
Career summary When he was young, he joined the SGS club, a badminton club in Bandung, where he trained under Iie Sumirat.
At age 17, he won the Brunei Open and reached the semifinals of the 1998 Asian Championships and the Indonesia Open. In 1999, Hidayat won his first Indonesian Open title. In the same year he also reached the final of the All England and the Singapore Open but lost the finals to his great rival, Peter Gade and his senior in the national team Hariyanto Arbi respectively. In 2000, Hidayat, at just 19 years old, achieved the world number one ranking after winning the Malaysia Open, Asian Championships, and Indonesia Open. He also, once again, came runner-up at the All England Open as he was defeated by Chinese player, Xia Xuanze.
1997 Asian Junior Badminton Championship
Just at 15, Hidayat won the boy's single event by defeating his future rival, Chen Hong in the final.
2000 Sydney Olympics Hidayat participated in the men's singles competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In his first Olympics, he was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Ji Xinpeng of China.
Round Opponent Score Result Round of 64 – – - Round of 32 Hidetaka Yamada 15–5, 14–17, 15–8 Win Round of 16 Ong Ewe Hock 15–9, 13–15, 15–3 Win Quarterfinals Ji Xinpeng 12–15, 5–15 Lost
2004 Athens Olympics Hidayat won the men's singles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics defeating Hidetaka Yamada of Japan and Wong Choong Hann of Malaysia in the first two rounds. Hidayat defeated Peter Gade of Denmark 15–12, 15–12 in the quarter final and Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand 15–9, 15–2 in the semifinal. Playing in the gold medal match, He defeated Korean Shon Seung-mo 15–8, 15–7 in the final to win the gold medal.
2004 Summer Olympics – Men's singles Round Opponent Score Result Round of 32 Hidetaka Yamada 15–8, 15–10 Win Round of 16 Wong Choong Hann 11–15, 15–7, 15–9 Win Quarterfinals Peter Gade 15–12, 15–12 Win Semifinals Boonsak Ponsana 15–9, 15–2 Win Final Shon Seung-mo 15–8, 15–7 Gold
In the same year, Hidayat successfully retained his Indonesia Open title by defeating Chen Hong 15–9, 15–3 in the final and won his second Asian Championships title.
2005: World Championships In August 2005, he won the men's singles title at the World Championships defeating world number one Lin Dan of China 15–3, 15–7 in the final. With this title, he became the first men's singles player to hold the Olympic and World Championships title in consecutive years.
2006–2007: Second Asian and SEA Games gold Hidayat won the men's singles gold medal at the Asian Games in 2002 Busan and 2006 Doha. He also won the 2007 Asian Championship, and two men's singles gold medals at the SEA Games in 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan and 2007 Nakhon Ratchasima.
2008 Beijing Olympics Hidayat competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics but he was eliminated in the second round by Wong Choong Hann of Malaysia.
Round Opponent Score Result First round - - - Second round Wong Choong Hann 19–21, 16–21 Lost
2012 London Olympics For the fourth time, Hidayat participated in the Summer Olympics. Hidayat competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics but he was eliminated in the round of 16 by Lin Dan of China.
Round Opponent Score Result Group Stage Petr Koukal 21–8, 21–8 Win Group Stage Pablo Abián 22–20, 21–11 Win Round of 16 Lin Dan 9–21, 12–21 Lost
Popular media has at times focused on the perceived rivalry between Hidayat and Chinese player Lin Dan, referring to the two as "arch rivals". This was the last time that Hidayat participated in the Summer Olympics.
Personal life He married the daughter of Agum Gumelar, Ami Gumelar, on 4 February 2006. They had a daughter in early August 2007, named Natarina Alika Hidayat. She was born shortly before he had to leave for the World Championships.
In December 2012, Hidayat officially opened a badminton training center named the Taufik Hidayat Arena (THA), located at Ciracas, East Jakarta. This "house of badminton" is both named and owned by Taufik.
Player attributes Hidayat's shot-making strengths were his backhand (as he is perhaps most famous for his backhand smash, revered for its unusually high generation of power), forehand jump smash, drop shot (reverse slice in particular), smooth footwork and deceiving net play. Hidayat's forehand jump smash in the 2006 World Championships was once the fastest smash recorded in singles competition; he recorded in a match against Ng Wei. This power on both his forehand and backhand, combined with his tenacity at the net and scope for deceptive shots, provided him with an extremely diverse weaponry on court, making him one of the most difficult players to face on the open circuit. Criticisms were aimed at his occasional lack of fitness, impatience with loud crowds, and his propensity to return a net shot with another net shot even when his opponent was dangerously close to the net.
Participation in the Indonesian team 6 times at Sudirman Cup (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011) 7 times at Thomas Cup (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012) 4 times at Summer Olympics at individual event (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012)
Awards and nominations +AwardYearCategoryResultInternational Badminton Federation Awards2004Eddy Choong Player of the Year2005Government of Indonesia Awards2005Tanda Kehormatan Bintang Jasa UtamaGovernment of Athens Awards2006Honorary Citizen of GreeceRCTI Indonesian Sports Entertainment Awards2024Most Popular Legendary Athlete
Achievements
Olympic Games Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref 2004 Goudi Olympic Hall, Athens, Greece Shon Seung-mo 15–8, 15–7 Gold
World Championships Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref 2001 Palacio de Deportes de San Pablo, Seville, Spain Hendrawan 15–11, 5–15, 7–1 retired Bronze 2005 Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, United States Lin Dan 15–3, 15–7 Gold 2009 Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, India Chen Jin 16–21, 6–21 Bronze 2010 Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris, France Chen Jin 13–21, 15–21 Silver
World Cup Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref 2006 Olympic Park, Yiyang, China Lin Dan Walkover Bronze
Asian Games Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref 2002 Gangseo Gymnasium, Busan, South Korea Lee Hyun-il 15–7, 15–9 Gold 2006 Aspire Hall 3, Doha, Qatar Lin Dan 21–15, 22–20 Gold
Asian Championships Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref 1998 Nimibutr Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Marleve Mainaky 15–17, 5–15 Bronze 2000 Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia Rony Agustinus 14–17, 15–2, 15–3 Gold 2002 Nimibutr Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Sony Dwi Kuncoro 12–15, 5–15 Silver 2003 Tennis Indoor Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia Sony Dwi Kuncoro 5–15, 15–7, 8–15 Silver 2004 Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sony Dwi Kuncoro 15–12, 7–15, 15–6 Gold 2007 Bandaraya Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia Chen Hong 21–18, 21–19 Gold
SEA Games Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref 1999 Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Wong Choong Hann 15–10, 11–15, 15–11 Gold 2007 Wongchawalitkul University, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Kendrick Lee Yen Hui 21–15, 21–9 Gold 2011 Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 14–21, 19–21 Bronze
Asian Junior Championships Boys' singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref1997 Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Manila, Philippines Chen Hong 15–11, 15–2 Gold
BWF Superseries (1 title, 9 runners-up) The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries has two level such as Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries features twelve tournaments around the world, which introduced since 2011, with successful players invited to the BWF Superseries Finals held at the year end.
Men's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref2007Japan Open Lee Chong Wei20–22, 21–19, 19–21 Runner-up2008French Open Peter Gade21–16, 17–21, 7–21 Runner-up2009Indonesia Open Lee Chong Wei9–21, 14–21 Runner-up2009Japan Open Bao Chunlai15–21, 12–21 Runner-up2009French Open Lin Dan6–21, 15–21 Runner-up2010Indonesia Open Lee Chong Wei19–21, 8–21 Runner-up2010Denmark Open Jan Ø. Jørgensen19–21, 19–21 Runner-up2010French Open Joachim Persson21–16, 21–11 Winner2010Hong Kong Open Lee Chong Wei19–21, 9–21 Runner-up2011Malaysia Open Lee Chong Wei8–21, 17–21 Runner-up Superseries Finals tournament Superseries Premier tournament Superseries tournament
BWF Grand Prix (17 titles, 7 runners-up) The BWF Grand Prix has two levels, the BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It is a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007. The World Badminton Grand Prix has been sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) since 1983.
Men's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref1998Brunei Open Dong Jiong12–15, 15–3, 15–9 Winner1999All England Open Peter Gade11–15, 15–7, 10–15 Runner-up1999Indonesia Open Budi Santoso17–14, 15–12 Winner1999Singapore Open Hariyanto Arbi15–13, 10–15, 11–15 Runner-up2000All England Open Xia Xuanze6–15, 13–15 Runner-up2000Indonesia Open Ong Ewe Hock15–5, 15–13 Winner2000Malaysia Open Xia Xuanze15–10, 17–14 Winner2001Singapore Open Wong Choong Hann7–5, 0–7, 7–1, 1–7, 7–4 Winner2002Indonesia Open Chen Hong15–12, 15–12 Winner2002Chinese Taipei Open Agus Hariyanto15–10, 15–8 Winner2003Indonesia Open Chen Hong15–9, 15–9 Winner2004Indonesia Open Chen Hong15–10, 15–11 Winner2005Singapore Open Chen Hong15–9, 15–3 Winner2006Indonesia Open Bao Chunlai21–18, 21–19 Winner2006Japan Open Lin Dan21–16, 16–21, 3–21 Runner-up2007Chinese Taipei Open Sony Dwi Kuncoro21–18, 6–21, 13–21 Runner-up2007Macau Open Chen Jin21–19, 17–21, 18–21 Runner-up2008Macau Open Lee Chong Wei21–19, 21–15 Winner2009India Open Muhammad Hafiz Hashim21–18, 21–19 Winner2009U.S. Open Hsueh Hsuan-yi21–15, 21–16 Winner2010Canada Open Brice Leverdez21–15, 21–11 Winner2010Indonesia Grand Prix Gold Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka26–28, 21–17, 21–14 Winner2011Canada Open Marc Zwiebler13–21, 23–25 Runner-up2011India Grand Prix Gold Sourabh Varma21–15, 21–18 Winner BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament BWF/IBF Grand Prix tournament
IBF Junior International (1 title)
Boys' singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref 1997 German Junior Keita Masuda Winner
Performance timeline
National team Junior level Team event 1997 Asian Junior Championships Silver
Senior level Team event 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 SEA Games Gold A A Silver Gold A Gold Asian Games Gold colspan="3" Silver colspan="3" Bronze colspan="3" Bronze Thomas Cup A Gold Gold Bronze Bronze Bronze Silver Sudirman Cup Bronze Silver Bronze Silver Silver A Bronze
Individual competitions Junior level Event 1997 Asian Junior Championships Gold
Senior level Event 1999 2007 2011 SEA Games Gold Gold Bronze
Event 1998 2000 2002 2003 2004 2007 2010 Asian Championships Bronze Gold Silver Silver Gold Gold R3
Event 1998 2002 2006 2010 Asian Games QF Gold Gold QF
Event 1999 2001 2003 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2011 World Championships R3 Bronze R3 Gold R3 R2 Bronze Silver R2
Event 2000 2004 2008 2012 Olympic Games QF Gold R32 R16