Chinese badminton star Lin Dan bid an early farewell to the 2018 BWF French Open after losing to Japan's Kazumasa Sakai in men's singles first round action on Wednesday.

Lin won the first game 21-9 before conceding the next two 21-14, 21-14.

"It was not about my fitness, but mentality," admitted the 35-year-old Lin. "I conceded too many turnovers to earn my opponent points. In the first game, I heated up into the match quickly, but I committed many unforced turnovers when I wanted to perform better in the next two games," he added.

Over the past two months following the Asian Games, Lin has played BWF tournaments in Japan, China, South Korea, Denmark and now France, achieving his best result in Japan, where he lost the quarterfinal clash to home favorite and current world No. 1 Kento Momota.

"I always wanted to regain my momentum [after the Asian Games]. Now as I have lost many matches, I need to discuss my future adjustments with my coaches," Lin pointed out.

Consecutive appearances at BWF tournaments have undoubtedly posed great challenges to Lin's fitness as a veteran. "My target is to finish the following several tournaments this year," Lin said.

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