Viktor Axelsen (born 4 January 1994) is a Danish badminton player. He is a two-time Olympic Champion, two-time World Champion, and four-time European Champion. He has held the No. 1 BWF World Ranking in men's singles for a total of 183 weeks (as of August 2024), and he is the current world No. 3.[2] Throughout his career, Axelsen has won every single major title in both team and individual events at least once (World Tour Super 1000 level or higher), except for Sudirman Cup (where his team won Bronze in 2013).[3] Known for his powerful smashes and solid defence, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest badminton players of all time.[4][5][6][7]
Axelsen won the World Championships in 2017 and 2022, becoming the only non-Asian male player besides Thomas Lund to win the title twice. He is also the back-to-back reigning Olympic Champion, winning the gold medals in men's singles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics after his bronze medal in 2016 Rio Olympics, thereby becoming the most successful badminton men’s singles player in Olympic history.[8][9]
Axelsen was born in Odense, to Henrik Axelsen and Gitte Lundager. At six years old, his father introduced him to badminton, playing the games at the Odense badminton club.[13][14] He lived with his father after his parents divorced, and then lived alone in Copenhagen at the age of 17 and joined the national team.[15] His father ran a small advertising agency for a number of years, but now works full time as a manager for his son. His mother has a shop in central Odense with a hairdressing salon, cosmetics, and fashion clothing. He was named the 2004 Player of the Year by the Odense badminton club.[16]
Career
2006–2011: Early career and World Junior title
Viktor Axelsen at 2010 Dutch Open
Axelsen's achievements began when he won the National junior event in the boys' singles and doubles in his age group in 2006 and 2008.[16] He later emerged victorious at the 2009 German Junior and also at the European U17 Championships.[17] He made his debut in the senior international tournament at the 2009 Denmark Open playing in the men's doubles event with Steffen Rasmussen.[13]
In January 2010, Axelsen who played from the qualification round, manage to reach the finals at the Swedish International tournament, and finished as the runner-up after losing to Indra Bagus Ade Chandra in straight games 15–21, 12–21.[18] He competed at the World Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, claimed the boys' singles title by defeating the No.1 seed, China's Huang Yuxiang in the quarter-finals, India's B. Sai Praneeth in the semis and Kang Ji-wook of Korea in the final.[17] In October, he claimed his first international senior title at the age of just sixteen, winning the Cyprus International.[19] A few weeks later he entered his first Super Series event in singles, the 2010 Denmark Open; making it through the qualifying stages before losing out to compatriot and eventual winner Jan Ø. Jørgensen in the second round.[20]
2012–2014: First Grand Prix title, European and World bronze
In early 2012, Axelsen moved to Valby, in Copenhagen, and started training at Brøndby elite center.[14] Axelsen finished runner-up at the French Open in Paris, losing in the final to Liew Daren 18–21, 17–21.[23] He also won a bronze medal at the 2012 European Championships, losing the semi-final in three games to Sweden's Henri Hurskainen 21–18, 18–21, 17–21.[24]
In 2016, Axelsen earned his first European crown in May 2016, beating compatriot and defending champion Jan Ø. Jørgensen with 21–11, 21–16 in the final of the 25th edition of the European Championships, the first in France at La Roche-sur-Yon. He was also part of the historic Danish team winning the first ever Thomas Cup title in 2016. Axelsen won five of his six played singles matches in the team tournament, including the match against Indonesia's experienced player Tommy Sugiarto in the final (21–17, 21–18) setting up a dramatic and historic 3–2 victory for Denmark over Indonesia. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, he won the bronze medal by beating Lin Dan from China 21–15, 12–21, 21–17.
2017: World champion, second Superseries Finals title, World number 1
In 2017, Axelsen won the World Championships in Glasgow in straight games against Lin Dan (22–20, 21–16) and became the third Danish player to ever become a world champion (Peter Rasmussen 1997 in Glasgow & Flemming Delfs 1977 in Sweden).[26] Axelsen, with a record of 4–3, is the only top twenty player to hold a winning record against Lin Dan, head-to-head.[31]
In 2018, Axelsen participated in the European Men's and Women's Team Badminton Championships and got a gold after suffering from a foot injury. He represented Denmark in the 2018 Thomas & Uber Cup. In the group stage, he defeated Vladimir Malkov from Russia and from Algeria. In the group stage match against Lee Chong Wei, he lost by two straight games 9–21, 19–21. In the quarter-finals match against South Korea, he defeated Son Wan-ho, but he lost to the favorite and former world no. 2, Kento Momota in semi-finals. Denmark was then eliminated in semi-finals and failed to defend the title in the 2016 event. In August, Axelsen was unable to defend his world title where he was defeated by two-time World Champion and reigning Olympic Champion Chen Long in the quarter-finals.[33]
2020: All England Open title
Axelsen started the season by competing in the Indonesia Masters. He finished as the semi-finalist after losing to home player the seventh seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in two straight games.[34] In February, he managed to defend his title in the Barcelona Spain Masters after beating the Thai youngster Kunlavut Vitidsarn in straight games 21–16, 21–13.[35] In March, he won the All England Open, making history as the first European and Dane to lift the men's singles trophy since 1999.[36]
2021: Olympic gold, first Denmark Open title and "Male Player Of The Year" award
Axelsen participated at the European Mixed Team Championships in Finland, and helped the team to win the gold medal.[37] In March, Axelsen entered the All England Open as the defending champion. He reached the final, but lost to 6th seed Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in a grueling 3-game match (29–30, 22–20, 9–21).[38] He then took part at the Kyiv European Championships, advanced to the final, but the organizers decided to cancel the finals, since Axelsen tested positive for COVID-19. Consequently, he was barred from playing the final match with his compatriot Anders Antonsen and was awarded a silver medal.[39] He won the gold medal in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, beating the defending champion Chen Long in straight games in the final and without dropping a single game in the entire tournament.[40]
In October, he won the Denmark Open title, defeating the top seed and world no.1 Kento Momota in a thrilling final match in three games. The match lasted 93 minutes. This was Axelsen's only second ever victory over Momota in their sixteen encounters.[41] He then won his second super 1000 title of the year at the Indonesian Open by beating Singapore's Loh Kean Yew.[42] For his achievements, Axelsen regain the number 1 spot at the BWF World ranking and have been named the 2020/2021 BWF Male Player of the Year.[43][44] He then won the season ending of the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals, beating the current Eddy Chong Most Promising Player, Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final in straight games, adding another victory to his undeniably successful year.[45]
The following month, Axelsen crashed out in the first round to the eventual World Champion Loh Kean Yew in the World Championships, losing 21–14, 9–21, 6–21 in 54 minutes.[46]
2022: Second World Championship title and "Male Player of The Year" award
Axelsen started the 2022 season as the world number one on the BWF World Ranking.[47] He reached the semi-finals of the German Open 2022 where he narrowly lost in three games (13–21, 21–12, 20–22) to Indian player Lakshya Sen.[48][49]
On March 20, Axelsen won the All England Open in convincing fashion without dropping a single game in the entire tournament. He defeated Lakshya Sen in the finals (21–10, 21–15).[50]
On 30 April, Axelsen won his third European Championship by defeating compatriot Anders Antonsen, 21–17, 21–15, in Madrid, Spain. He joined Flemming Delfs, Poul-Erik Høyer and Peter Gade as Danish three-time winners in men's singles.[51] Despite the win, Axelsen was not satisfied with the win, saying that there were many silly mistakes from both players.[52]
On July 3, Axelsen won the Malaysia Open for the first time by defeating Kento Momota 21–4, 21–7 in the final, becoming the first Dane to win the event in 15 years.[53] The next day, Axelsen withdrew from the 2022 Malaysia Masters, which was the next event on the tour.[54] Axelsen then withdrew from the Singapore Open, taking a break in Singapore before moving on to the World Championships in August.[55]
In August, Axelsen won the World Championships, defeating Thailand's three-time world junior champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final, 21–5, 21–16.[56] This was a second world championships title for Axelsen, adding on to the gold medal he won in 2017.
In mid October, Axelsen took part in his home event as the defending champion, the Denmark Open. In the quarterfinals, he lost to his training partner and former world champion Loh Kean Yew in a tame defeat, losing 17–21, 10–21 in just 30 minutes.[57] Prior to this match, Axelsen had held a 39 match-winning streak, and his only loss in 2022 so far was to a narrow loss to Lakshya Sen in the German Open semi-final.[58] After the match, Axelsen declared that he did not play up to his usual standard, going as far to describe his own play as "embarrassing", apologizing to the home crowd for his performance in the interview.[59]
However, he won the French Open title, a week after the Denmark Open. He defeated Rasmus Gemke in the final, in straight games 21–14 21–15, without dropping a game in the entire tournament.[citation needed] For his amazing performance in this year, only losing two completed matches, he was crowned as the BWF Male Player Of The Year, for the 2nd time after winning it last year.[12] In the World Tour Finals, which had initially been scheduled in Guangzhou but was later moved to Bangkok, number one seed Axelsen went on to become champion after defeating Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in straight sets, 21–13 21–14,[60] ending 2022 with year-end number 1 ranking, 6 titles, and only 3 losses (out of 55 matches).
2023: Continued domination despite recurring injuries — World Tour Finals title and three Super 1000 titles
In the inaugural tournament and Super 1000 event of the year, Malaysia Open, Viktor Axelsen successfully defended his championship title by defeating opponents Rasmus Gemke, Liew Daren, Kenta Nishimoto, and finalist Kodai Naraoka, dropping only one game in the opening round against Gemke. In the three matches leading up to the title, Axelsen did not concede a game or more than 7 points in the opening games. Subsequently, Axelsen participated in the Indian Open, a Super 750 event, where he encountered minimal resistance en route to the final. Notable victories over Srikanth Kidambi, Shi Yuqi, and Rasmus Gemke secured his place in the championship match where he was bested by the eighth seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final, with a final score of 20-22, 21-10, 12-21.
In the All England Open tournament held in March, Axelsen faced an upset exit in the second round, losing to unseeded Ng Tze Yong in a closely contested three-game match. Later the same month, he advanced to the semi-finals of the Swiss Open but was defeated by Chou Tien-chen in two games. Participating in the Sudirman Cup, Axelsen helped the Denmark team reach the quarter-finals. However, Denmark suffered a 1-3 loss to Malaysia, with Axelsen sustaining a left hamstring injury during the first game against Lee Zii Jia. This injury occurred just after approximately 5 minutes of play with the score tied at 4-4.[61]
Consequently, Axelsen opted out of the Singapore Open in June, citing the need for rehabilitation due to his muscle strain. He claimed on Twitter that the Badminton World Federation intended to fine him $5,000 for his absence, while he was engaged in recovery. However, the BWF dismissed his statement as "inaccurate and out of context".[62] Later in the same month, despite just recovering from his injury, Axelsen participated in the Indonesia Open, a Super 1000 event, in which he successfully defended his title by overcoming opponents Weng Hongyang, Wang Tzu-wei, Chou Tien-chen, and the second-seeded local favorite Anthony Sinisuka Ginting. Notably, Axelsen achieved these victories without dropping a single game.
Moving to July, Axelsen secured a significant victory by winning the European Games men's singles title for the first time. In the final, he triumphed over the fifth-seeded Christo Popov after a three-game battle. Due to fatigue, Axelsen opted to withdraw from the Canada Open.[63] Nonetheless, he continued his winning streak by claiming victory in the Japan Open, a Super 750 event. Axelsen achieved this feat by defeating opponents Lin Chun-yi, Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, Prannoy H. S., Kodai Naraoka, and the fifth-seeded Jonatan Christie.
Entering the world championship as the top seed and defending champion, Axelsen experienced an unexpected loss to the ninth seed Prannoy H. S. in the quarter-finals. Subsequently, in September, he secured his maiden China Open title, marking his third Super 1000 title of the year. The victory came in a 2-0 win over the host nation opponent, Lu Guangzu, in the finals. Axelsen strategically withdrew from the Arctic Open to preserve his energy for the Denmark Open, held in his birthplace city, Odense. Despite advancing to the second round and defeating Magnus Johannesen, he retired from the tournament.
In the French Open, Axelsen faced another setback, retiring prematurely in the first round against Ng Ka Long due to injury. Facing potential ineligibility for the World Tour Finals due to recurring injuries and retirements throughout the year, Axelsen made a comeback in November, clinching the inaugural Japan Masters title by defeating Shi Yuqi in the final. This Super 500 tournament featured the participation of all top 10 players, and Axelsen's victory propelled him to the fifth position in the race to the World Tour Finals, securing his eligibility for the event.
During the World Tour Finals, Axelsen finished second in the group stage with a single loss to Shi Yuqi. In the semi-finals, he comfortably defeated his compatriot Anders Antonsen in two games. Advancing to the final, Axelsen faced Shi Yuqi once again, overcoming an earlier defeat and the strong support of the host nation for his opponent. In a remarkable achievement, Axelsen secured his third consecutive World Tour Finals title, a feat previously accomplished only by Lee Chong Wei. The notable win at the World Tour Finals secured Axelsen a record prize of US$200,000. This propelled him ahead of the accomplished An Se-young to claim the top spot as the highest prize money earner on the circuit for the year for the second time in a row, amassing a total of US$645,095, more than any other player earning in a single year.[64]
2024: Second Olympic gold medal
Participating in the inaugural tournament of the season Malaysia Open, Axelsen advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Loh Kean Yew, Lee Cheuk Yiu, Ng Ka Long, respectively. In the semi-finals, he lost to Shi Yuqi after three games despite an early lead of 5-1 in the final game, therefore failing to defend his championship. Axelsen was part of the gold-winning Danish men's team at the European Men's Team Badminton Championships despite not playing a match. He was seeded number one in French Open and All England Open, however suffered upset losses against Wang Tzu-wei in the second round and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the quarterfinals, respectively.
In April, Axelsen entered the European Championships as the top seed, effortlessly advanced to the semifinals without dropping a game before losing to the fourth seed Toma Junior Popov in three games, therefore failing to defend his championship and ending up with a bronze medal. In the Thomas Cup, his Denmark team lost 1-3 to Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals, in which Axelsen was defeated by Chou Tien-chen in three games.
In the Malaysia Masters Super 500 event, Axelsen reached the final without dropping a game against Koki Watanabe, Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul, Chou Tien-chen, Lu Guangzu. He then went on to defeat the fifth seed Lee Zii Jia in the final match with a scoreline of 21-6, 20-22, 21-13, therefore winning his maiden BWF title of the year, which is also his second Malaysia Masters after six years. In the following tournament, Super 750 Singapore Open, Axelsen withdrew ahead of the semifinal match against the sixth seed Li Shifeng, citing "a small rollover" on the right ankle.[65] He then decided to skip all the tournaments leading up to the Olympics in order to focus on the preparations of this paramount event. This included withdrawing from Indonesia Open Super 1000 event, where he was the defending champion, thus forfeiting 12,000 points and losing his world number one ranking to Shi Yuqi for the first time since December 2021, ending a 132-week tenure.
Entering the Paris Olympics as the second seed, Axelsen advanced effortlessly through the group stage with straight wins against unseeded players Prince Dahal, Misha Zilberman, and Nhat Nguyen. Benefiting from a favorable knockout stage draw, he received a bye to the quarterfinals, where he overcame the tenth seed Loh Kean Yew. In the a remarkable semifinal against unseeded Lakshya Sen, Axelsen saved three game points to win the first game 22-20 and overcame a 7-0 deficit to take the second game 21-14. Advancing to the final, Axelsen faced the eighth seed and reigning World Champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who had defeated top players Shi Yuqi and Lee Zii Jia en route to the final. Despite Vitidsarn's impressive performance leading up to the final, Axelsen secured a commanding victory with scores of 21-11, 21-11, thereby successfully defending his Olympics gold medal.[9][66] This achievement made Axelsen the only non-Asian badminton player in history and the only men's singles player after Lin Dan to win two Olympic gold medals.
In the month following his Olympic gold medal in Paris, Viktor Axelsen competed in Hong Kong Open Super 500 event, marking his return to BWF Tour. He advanced to the final with ease, not dropping a single game throughout his matches against Ng Ka Long, Su Li-yang, Chou Tien-chen, and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting. In the final match, Axelsen secured a dominant victory over unseeded Lei Lanxi, winning 21-9, 21-12. This triumph made him the first Danish men's singles player to claim the Hong Kong Open title in 27 years.
Personal life
In addition to his native Danish, Axelsen is also a fluent speaker of English and Mandarin, giving himself a Chinese name of 安賽龍.[67]
In August 2021 Axelsen decided to leave the Danish national team in Copenhagen and move with his family from Denmark to Dubai. There he could train at the NAS Sports Complex (Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex).[68] Axelsen himself stated several reasons for the move to Dubai; for instance shorter travel time to most events in Asia, which allows him more remaining time to rest or warm-up. Another reason was the health factor since he suffers from asthma and acute rhinitis. This makes it more comfortable in Asia than in Europe, especially Denmark, which tends to be cooler and where his allergy can be triggered faster by things such as flower pollen, dust, or animal dander. And the other reason is the family factor. Axelsen wants to have more time with his family.[69]
Axelsen's wife, Natalia Koch Rohde, gave birth to a baby girl named Vega Rohde Axelsen on 15 October 2020.[70][71] On 7 October 2022, she gave birth to her second baby girl named Aya Rohde Axelsen.[72] Her father Henrik Rohde, who was head coach of the winning Skovshoved team in the Danish league in 2017, since moving to Dubai, is also helping with the coaching of her husband Viktor Axelsen.[73]
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[74] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[75]
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[76] was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011.[77] Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.
^Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
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