Viktor Axelsen: Sports Feature

By Jhankrit Ahuja

"Always a pleasure to play in India": Axelsen

The history of European badminton cannot be told without mentioning the name of the great Danish player, Viktor Axelsen. Following the footsteps of Peter Gade, Viktor started his journey in the game at the age of six, at the Odense badminton club. Currently owning 14 career titles, Axelsen is also known for his record breaking smash which was an astonishing 419 km/h. Although he adds to the discussion by clarifying how hard he had to practice for the same, day and night. 

He discusses as to how he deals with the pressure that he always carries being the European no. 1. He says “I don’t really use energy on focusing on the pressure from other people. Of course I feel it, but the pressure from myself is even harder to handle even though I’m getting good at it. I’m happy that people believe in me, but if you keep using energy on focusing on people’s view of you, it can have a negative impact on you as a player. 

Talking about his recent victory in the Yonex Sunrise India Open 2019, he specifically mentions the joy and charisma of the Indian fans. He says that it is always a pleasure to play in India as the fans are always cheering and supportive. 

Axelsen also mentions that he looks forward to playing with Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan soon. According to the Axelson ‘Great Dane’, it is always an honor to play with such experienced players and it helps him learn the best of strategies. 

When asked about his opinion on the implementation of the new service rule, Viktor is critical of it and says it is just foolish. He explains how hard it is for tall players to serve from below 1.15 metres and says “You don’t lower the basket in basketball just because tall players have an advantage, so why here?”

He also adds up to his point as he explains the disadvantages of being a tall player and the difficulties tall players face in the defense part.

At last he wishes all the fellow athletes best for the upcoming Malaysia Open and Singapore super 500, which are both a part of the BWF world tour 2019.