‘Still have lot of badminton left in me’: Viktor Axelsen says he will be out of action for a while due to surgery for back issues | Badminton News

After losing in the first round at the prestigious All England Open in Birmingham this month against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun Yi, Axelsen had said that he had been dealing with severe back/nerve pain for several months now, and that there were just too many days where my body doesn’t allow me to move properly at this point.

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— Viktor Axelsen (@ViktorAxelsen) March 29, 2025

“I’m surrounded by extremely competent people, and I’m looking forward to being able to hopefully train and compete pain-free again. Thank you for all your support—it truly means a lot to me,” he wrote.

Earlier this year at the India Open, where he fought through indifferent form and lack of physical sharpness to win the title, Axelsen had said he had to push himself to find the motivation again after his Paris gold last year. “I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish… twice,” Axelsen had told The Indian Express. “But in order to keep hungry, I have to set myself new targets. And for me, it’s to fulfill my full potential. In my mind, I haven’t peaked yet. If you look at the big picture, I can’t come back in 10 years and say I’m going to give it a chance.” The former world No 1 is currently No 3 in the world.