Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Two-time Olympic champion Danish shuttler Viktor Axelsen has announced his retirement from professional badminton at the age of 32, owing to a prolonged back injury.
Axelsen, who is a two-time world champion, three-time European champion, a Thomas Cup winner along with a former and long-serving World No.1 and the owner of one of the most complete major-title resumes in men’s singles history, has been hampered by a serious back injury for the past two years.
Explaining the reason behind his decision, Axelsen said it is no longer physically possible for him to continue playing badminton due to pain. “As most people know, I have been struggling with my back for quite some time. After I had surgery in April last year and went through a long rehabilitation process, I unfortunately had a setback in October. Since those tournaments, I have not been able to play or train at the level required. I have not been able to play or train due to pain, and that is why I am unfortunately forced to make this extremely difficult decision,” he told Badminton Europe.
Axelsen won the 2010 BWF World Junior Championships, making him the first European player to win the title. He made his senior debut in the same year, winning at the Cyprus International. In 2014, he achieved a great win at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold. In addition, he is proudly decorated with two European Championships bronze medals, and also won his first bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in 2014. In 2016, he became the first European badminton player to win the men’s singles title at the BWF World Superseries Finals.
