There is a reason why the World No. 3 Viktor Axelsen is so popular on the BWF Tour. Apart from obviously being one of the best shuttlers emerging from the Danish stable in the last few years, the 22-year-old is one of the most affable players around.
I was reminded of that during my interaction with the Rio Olympic bronze medallist ahead of the Premier Badminton League (PBL). A warm, cordial voice greeted me on the other end of the telephone, and it never seemed like I was talking with a world-famous athlete.
Axelsen was touted to be the next big thing in badminton ever since he captured the junior global title in 2010, becoming the first ever European to do so. The icon player of the Bengaluru Blasters arrived in India after a scintillating season that will forever remain etched in his memory.
The steadily-rising Dane finally asserted himself on the big stage in 2016, adding numerous firsts to his illustrious resume. A prized bronze medal at the Olympics, maiden European Championships title and first World Superseries Finals crown, besides playing an integral role in Denmark’s first Thomas Cup triumph, were some of the notable accomplishments for the 6’4’’ Copenhagen resident.
It goes without saying that the just-concluded season has been the best so far in his already impressive career, and Axelsen too admits that.
“2016 has been the best year in my career so far. I am really pleased after getting the Olympic bronze, then winning the Thomas Cup with the Danish team and the Superseries Finals,” he said.
The World Superseries Finals title was extra special for the youngster. He endured heartbreaks in the finals of Superseries events as many as six times before finally breaking the duck in the biggest of them all.
Axelsen, who also made it to the India Open Superseries final in early April, revealed that his preparation was not satisfactory. Which is why the unexpected win, at a place where the crème de la crème of the sport vie for the title, was all the more precious.
“It was amazing,” the European champion gushed, his voice tingling with enthusiasm as he spoke. “As you said, I have been to six finals without winning a title, so winning the Superseries Finals title in December was a big win for me actually. The preparation was not that good but to win it in the end was very rewarding for me. When I look back at it as the first (Superseries) title of my career, it will bring back good memories.”
There is definitely no better feeling than toppling the World No. 1 at an event that is as high-profile as this, especially if the said World No. 1 had defeated you a whopping nine times before. Axelsen held his nerve to edge Lee Chong Wei for a thrilling 14-21, 21-14, 21-19 round robin win, and did not lose any match thereafter at Dubai.
There’s no doubt that that match doubled his motivation and gave him the extra spurt of confidence that he needed.
“Beating Lee Chong Wei for the first time as well was a really big win for me. He is a player I had been struggling to play against. So the win shows I am on the right track.”
With a career-high ranking of 3 in the world, it’s not a surprise that the elite tournaments of badminton are what he is after now.
“For the 2017 season, mostly I hope to keep improving. Of course, I hope I can win more titles. Doing well at the All England and the World Championships is my main goal at the moment.”
Having produced the likes of Peter Gade and Peter Rasmussen and a number of other top players across all disciplines over the years, Denmark has remained a powerhouse in the sport for a long time. Their hegemony in Europe is further vindicated by the fact that they swept the continental championships in all categories except the women’s singles this year.
At the Thomas Cup – badminton’s revered men’s team event – the Scandinavian country created history in 2016, winning their maiden title after eight previous failures.
The constant churning out of talent is as remarkable as it can get. Axelsen attributed it to a “great training environment all over the country and good Nationals for all those who reach the national level.”
Elaborating further, he added: “You start whenever you want...at the age of five, six, seven, eight years. There’s nothing to worry. Lots of young kids start late and learn slowly. In Denmark, there’s school for everyone. There’s a natural training environment for players of all level. That really helps Danish badminton.”
Being in India, the conversation naturally veered to his Indian opponents. Incidentally, Axelsen was the very player that India’s Kidambi Srikanth beat to clinch the 2015 India Open Superseries title.
So does he have any specific strategy while facing players from India?
“No, not really. I just try to focus on my own game and the gameplan that I have for every opponent,” he insisted.
As the leading player of the Bengaluru Blasters, Axelsen has full faith in his PBL team. A couple of days of practice before the pan-Indian extravaganza kicks off on 1 January would bode well, he hopes.
“Of course I believe in my team. Hopefully, we can do well now that we have a few days of practice before it all starts. I think the players are ready and hopefully, we can do really well.”
Quizzed on what he likes about India after having already been to the country multiple times, the reply was short and sweet.
“India is a really interesting country. The culture’s really different from that of Denmark. I enjoy my time here.”
