me to fight with my teammates. I have gratitude, a heavy heart and unwillingness." After his retirement, he joined Instagram to stay connected with his fans all over the world. Rivalry with Lee Chong Wei The Lee–Lin rivalry was a rivalry between two professional badminton players, Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan whose careers were almost exactly contemporaneous. The rivalry is often considered the greatest in the history of badminton even though Lin had the decided edge. Of their 40 meetings, Lin won the head-to-head by 28–12. Personal life Lin has been in a relationship with Xie Xingfang, herself a former world champion, since 2003. They were quietly engaged on 13 December 2010 in Haizhu, Guangzhou. Xie initially denied but later acknowledged romantic involvement with Lin, who reacted angrily at the public exposure of their relationship, citing reasons of personal privacy. The two were married on 23 September 2012 and the wedding ceremony was held at the Beijing University of Technology. Lin had five tattoos visible during the 2012 Summer Olympics. His upper left arm has a Christian cross, his lower left arm has five stars, his right upper arm reads "until the end of world", a double "F" lettering on his lower right arm, and his initials "LD" are tattooed on the back of his neck. These tattoos have been the subject of controversy due to his military and religious status. On 17 October 2012, he became the first active Chinese badminton player to accept a master's degree, which was presented at Huaqiao University. His autobiography, Until the End of the World, was published after he successfully defended his Olympic title at the London 2012 Olympics. He and his wife Xie Xingfang had their first child "Xiao Yu" (Little feather) on 5 November 2016. On November 17, 2016, he admitted to an affair and apologised on Weibo. Social media users had purportedly identified the woman as actress and model Zhao Yaqi. Awards Lin won the Eddie Choong Player of the Year award for two consecutive years in 2006 and 2007. He also secured the BWF Best Male Player of the Year in 2008. Lin was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) during the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. On 16 January 2011, he was named China's best male athlete for 2010 in China Central Television's Sports Personality of the Year poll for his clean sweep in major badminton titles.