Viktor Axelsen

Viktor Axelsen ([ˈʋiktəɐ̯ aksəlsən]; born 4 January 1994) is a badminton player from
Denmark. He is the 2017 World Champion and 2020 Summer Olympics gold
medalist. He also won the 2010 World Junior Championships, defeating South
Korean Kang Ji-wook in the final and becoming the first European player to hold the
title. Axelsen also held the title of European men's singles winner in 2016 and 2018.
Axelsen was born in Odense, and at six years old, his father introduced him to
badminton, playing the games at the Odense badminton club. 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. His father Henrik Axelsen ran a small advertising
agency for a number of years, but now works full time as a manager for his son, and
his mother Gitte Lundager has a shop in central Odense with a hairdressing salon,
cosmetics and fashion clothing. He was named as the 2004 Player of the Year by
Odense badminton club.
He is actively playing badminton from 2010 until now.
Representing: Denmark
Handedness: Right
Height: 194/ one hundred and ninety fourcm (6 ft 4 in)
Career record: 434/ four hundred and thirty fourwins, 139/one hundred and thirty
nine losses (April 30, 2022)
Highest ranking: 1 (28 September 2017)
Current ranking: 1 (18 October 2022)
He is the best number 1 player in the world

2006–2011: Early career and World Junior title

Axelsen's achievements begin when he won the National junior event in the boys'
singles and doubles in his age group in 2006 and 2008.[8] He later emerged
victorious at the 2009 German Junior and also at the European U17 Championships.
[9] He made his debut in the senior international tournament at the 2009 Denmark
Open playing in the men's doubles event with Steffen Rasmussen.
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. 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. In
October, he claimed his first international senior title at the age of just sixteen,
winning the Cyprus International. 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.
In 2011, Axelsen secured gold at the European Junior Championships, defeating
teammate Rasmus Fladberg 21–8, 17–21, 21–13 in the final. He took a silver medal
at the 2011 BWF World Junior Championships, losing the title to Malaysia's Zulfadli
Zulkiffli, coming in second place.

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.[6] Axelsen finished runner-up at the French Open in Paris,
losing in the final to Liew Daren 18–21, 17–21. 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.
In 2014, Axelsen won his first Grand Prix title at the Swiss Open, beating China's
Tian Houwei in the final 21–7, 16–21, 25–23.[17] Axelsen won a bronze medal at
the 2014 BWF World Championships and also a bronze medal again at the 2014
European Championships.

2015–2016: European champion, Olympic bronze, and Superseries title

In 2015, Axelsen finished runners-up at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold, and three
Super Series events: India Open, Australian Open, and Japan Open. He qualified to
compete at the Super Series Finals held in Dubai, and again finished as the runner-
up. Axelsen featured in Denmark's winning team at the European Mixed Team
Championships in Leuven, Belgium. At the Sudirman Cup, the team finished in the
quarter finals lost 2–3 to Japanese team, where he played in the second matches.
He ended the 2015 season ranked as world number 6.
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).[18] Axelsen, with a record of 4–3, is the only top twenty player to hold a
winning record against Lin Dan, head-to-head.
Axelsen followed up his victory in Glasgow by winning the finals of the Japan Open
tournament in Tokyo over Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in three sets on 23
September, propelling him to the top of the BWF World Rankings.[24]

2018–2019: Second European Championships title

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.

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. 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. 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.

2021: Olympic gold and first Denmark Open title

Axelsen participated at the European Mixed Team Championships in Finland, and
helped the team to win the gold medal. 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). 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. 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.
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. He then won his second super 1000 title of the year at the Indonesian
Open by beating Singapore's Loh Kean Yew. 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. 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.
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.

2022: Second All England Open title, third European Championship title and second
World Championship title
Axelsen started the 2022 season as the world number one on the BWF World
Ranking. 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.
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).
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.Despite the
win, Axelsen was not satisfied with the win, saying that there were many silly
mistakes from both players.
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.The next day, Axelsen withdrew from the 2022 Malaysia Masters, which was
the next event on the tour. Axelsen then withdrew from the Singapore Open, taking
a break in Singapore before moving on to the World Championships in August.
In August, Axelsen won the World Championships, defeating Thailand's three-time
world junior champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final, 21–5, 21–16. 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.
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.[50]
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.