About Viktor Axelsen
Born 1994. Viktor Axelsen is a Danish badminton player and olympic competitor.
Viktor Axelsen (born 4 January 1994) is a Danish former professional badminton player. He is a two-time Olympic Champion, two-time World Champion, and four-time European Champion. He has held the No. 1 BWF World Ranking in men's singles for a total of 183 weeks (as of August 2024). Throughout his career, Axelsen has won every single major title in both team and individual events at least once (World Tour Super 1000 level or higher), except for Sudirman Cup (where his team won Bronze in 2013).
Axelsen won the World Championships in 2017 and 2022, becoming the only non-Asian male player besides Thomas Lund to win the title twice. He is also the back-to-back reigning Olympic Champion, winning the gold medals in men's singles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics after his bronze medal in 2016 Rio Olympics, thereby becoming the most successful badminton menโs singles player in Olympic history and one of the most decorated badminton players in history. He is regarded as one of the all-time greats of badminton.
Axelsen has led Denmark team to win all European Mixed Team Championships since 2015 and all European Men's Team Championships since 2012. On individual levels, he won three European Championships titles in 2016, 2018, and 2022, and a gold medal at the European Games in 2023. He also won the 2010 World Junior Championships, becoming the only non-Asian singles player to win the title. Axelsen held the world number one position in men's singles for a total of 183 weeks, making it the third-longest reign in badminton history, trailing only Lee Chong Wei (398) and Lin Dan (211). He is the current recipient of the BWF Male Player of the Year award, having won the award three times since 2020.
Early life Axelsen was born in Odense, to Henrik Axelsen and Gitte Lundager. 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 ran a small advertising agency for a number of years, but now works full time as a manager for his son. His mother has a shop in central Odense with a hairdressing salon, cosmetics, and fashion clothing. He was named the 2004 Player of the Year by the Odense badminton club.
Career 2006โ2011: Early career and World Junior title
Axelsen's achievements began when he won the National junior event in the boys' singles and doubles in his age group in 2006 and 2008. He made his debut in the senior international tournament at the 2009 Denmark Open playing in the men's doubles event with Steffen Rasmussen. 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. 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 ร. Jรธrgensen in the second round.
In 2011, Axelsen secured gold at the European Junior Championships, defeating teammate Rasmus Fladberg 21โ8, 17โ21, 21โ13 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.
2012โ2014: First Grand Prix title, European and World bronze In early 2012, Axelsen moved to Valby, in Copenhagen, and started training at Brรธndby elite center. He also won a bronze medal at the 2012 European Championships, losing the semi-final in three games to Sweden's Henri Hurskainen 21โ18, 18โ21, 17โ21.
In 2014, Axelsen won his first Grand Prix title at the Swiss Open, beating China's Tian Houwei in the final 21โ7, 16โ21, 25โ23. Axelsen won a bronze medal at the 2014 BWF World Championships and also a bronze medal again at the 2014 European Championships.
2015โ2016: 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 2โ3 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 ร. Jรธrgensen with 21โ11, 21โ16 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 (21โ17, 21โ18) setting up a dramatic and historic 3โ2 victory for Denmark over Indonesia. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, he won the bronze medal by beating Lin Dan from China 15โ21, 21โ10, 21โ17.
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 (22โ20, 21โ16) and became the third Danish player to ever become a world champion (Peter Rasmussen 1997 in Glasgow & Flemming Delfs 1977 in Sweden).
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.
2018โ2019: 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 9โ21, 19โ21. 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 21โ16, 21โ13. 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, first Denmark Open title and "Male Player Of The Year" award 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 (29โ30, 22โ20, 9โ21). 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 three game final match. The match lasted 93 minutes. This was Axelsen's second 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 regained the number 1 spot at the BWF World ranking and has 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.
The following month, Axelsen crashed out in the first round to the eventual World Champion Loh Kean Yew in the World Championships, losing 21โ14, 9โ21, 6โ21 in 54 minutes.
2022: Second World Championship title and "Male Player of The Year" award 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 (13โ21, 21โ12, 20โ22) 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 (21โ10, 21โ15).
On 30 April, Axelsen won his third European Championship by defeating compatriot Anders Antonsen, 21โ17, 21โ15, in Madrid, Spain. He joined Flemming Delfs, Poul-Erik Hรธyer 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 21โ4, 21โ7 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, 21โ5, 21โ16. 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 17โ21, 10โ21 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. 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.
However, he won the French Open title, a week after the Denmark Open. He defeated Rasmus Gemke in the final, in straight games 21โ14 21โ15, without dropping a game in the entire tournament. For his amazing performance in this year, only losing two completed matches, he was crowned as the BWF Male Player Of The Year, for the 2nd time after winning it last year. ending 2022 with year-end number 1 ranking, 8 titles, and only 3 losses (out of 55 matches).
2023: Continued domination despite recurring injuries โ World Tour Finals title and three Super 1000 titles In the inaugural tournament and Super 1000 event of the year, Malaysia Open, Viktor Axelsen successfully defended his championship title by defeating opponents Rasmus Gemke, Liew Daren, Kenta Nishimoto, and finalist Kodai Naraoka, dropping only one game in the opening round against Gemke. In the three matches leading up to the title, Axelsen did not concede a game or more than 7 points in the opening games. Subsequently, Axelsen participated in the Indian Open, a Super 750 event, where he encountered minimal resistance en route to the final. Notable victories over Srikanth Kidambi, Shi Yuqi, and Rasmus Gemke secured his place in the championship match where he was bested by the eighth seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final, with a final score of 20-22, 21-10, 12-21.
In the All England Open tournament held in March, Axelsen faced an upset exit in the second round, losing to unseeded Ng Tze Yong in a closely contested three-game match. Later the same month, he advanced to the semi-finals of the Swiss Open but was defeated by Chou Tien-chen in two games. Participating in the Sudirman Cup, Axelsen helped the Denmark team reach the quarter-finals. However, Denmark suffered a 1-3 loss to Malaysia, with Axelsen sustaining a left hamstring injury during the first game against Lee Zii Jia. This injury occurred just after approximately 5 minutes of play with the score tied at 4-4.
Consequently, Axelsen opted out of the Singapore Open in June, citing the need for rehabilitation due to his muscle strain. He claimed on Twitter that the Badminton World Federation intended to fine him $5,000 for his absence, while he was engaged in recovery. However, the BWF dismissed his statement as "inaccurate and out of context". Later in the same month, despite just recovering from his injury, Axelsen participated in the Indonesia Open, a Super 1000 event, in which he successfully defended his title by overcoming opponents Weng Hongyang, Wang Tzu-wei, Chou Tien-chen, and the second-seeded local favorite Anthony Sinisuka Ginting. Notably, Axelsen achieved these victories without dropping a single game.
Moving to July, Axelsen secured a significant victory by winning the European Games men's singles title for the first time. In the final, he triumphed over the fifth-seeded Christo Popov after a three-game battle. Due to fatigue, Axelsen opted to withdraw from the Canada Open. Nonetheless, he continued his winning streak by claiming victory in the Japan Open, a Super 750 event. Axelsen achieved this feat by defeating opponents Lin Chun-yi, Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, Prannoy H. S., Kodai Naraoka, and the fifth-seeded Jonatan Christie.
Entering the world championship as the top seed and defending champion, Axelsen experienced an unexpected loss to the ninth seed Prannoy H. S. in the quarter-finals. Subsequently, in September, he secured his maiden China Open title, marking his third Super 1000 title of the year. The victory came in a 2-0 win over the host nation opponent, Lu Guangzu, in the finals. Axelsen strategically withdrew from the Arctic Open to preserve his energy for the Denmark Open, held in his birthplace city, Odense. Despite advancing to the second round and defeating Magnus Johannesen, he retired from the tournament.
In the French Open, Axelsen faced another setback, retiring prematurely in the first round against Ng Ka Long due to injury. Facing potential ineligibility for the World Tour Finals due to recurring injuries and retirements throughout the year, Axelsen made a comeback in November, clinching the inaugural Japan Masters title by defeating Shi Yuqi in the final. This Super 500 tournament featured the participation of all top 10 players, and Axelsen's victory propelled him to the fifth position in the race to the World Tour Finals, securing his eligibility for the event.
During the World Tour Finals, Axelsen finished second in the group stage with a single loss to Shi Yuqi. In the semi-finals, he comfortably defeated his compatriot Anders Antonsen in two games. Advancing to the final, Axelsen faced Shi Yuqi once again, overcoming an earlier defeat and the strong support of the host nation for his opponent. In a remarkable achievement, Axelsen secured his third consecutive World Tour Finals title, a feat previously accomplished only by Lee Chong Wei. The notable win at the World Tour Finals secured Axelsen a record prize of US$200,000. This propelled him ahead of the accomplished An Se-young to claim the top spot as the highest prize money earner on the circuit for the year for the second time in a row, amassing a total of US$645,095, more than any other player earning in a single year.
2024: Second Olympic gold medal Participating in the inaugural tournament of the season Malaysia Open, Axelsen advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Loh Kean Yew, Lee Cheuk Yiu, Ng Ka Long, respectively. In the semi-finals, he lost to Shi Yuqi after three games despite an early lead of 5โ1 in the final game, therefore failing to defend his championship. Axelsen was part of the gold-winning Danish men's team at the European Men's Team Championships despite not playing a match. He was seeded number one in French Open and All England Open, however suffered upset losses against Wang Tzu-wei in the second round and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the quarter-finals, respectively. In April, Axelsen entered the European Championships as the top seed, effortlessly advanced to the semi-finals without dropping a game before losing to the fourth seed Toma Junior Popov in three games, therefore failing to defend his championship and ending up with a bronze medal. In the Thomas Cup, his Denmark team lost 1โ3 to Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals, in which Axelsen was defeated by Chou Tien-chen in three games.
In the Malaysia Masters, Axelsen reached the final without dropping a game against Koki Watanabe, Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul, Chou Tien-chen, and Lu Guangzu. He then went on to defeat the fifth seed Lee Zii Jia in the final match with a scoreline of 21โ6, 20โ22, 21โ13, therefore winning his maiden BWF title of the year, which is also his second Malaysia Masters after six years. In the following tournament, Singapore Open, Axelsen withdrew ahead of the semi-final match against the sixth seed Li Shifeng, citing "a small rollover" on the right ankle. He then decided to skip all the tournaments leading up to the Olympics in order to focus on the preparations of this paramount event. This included withdrawing from Indonesia Open, where he was the defending champion, thus forfeiting 12,000 points and losing his world number one ranking to Shi Yuqi for the first time since December 2021, ending a 132-week tenure.
Entering the Paris Olympics as the second seed, Axelsen advanced effortlessly through the group stage with straight wins against unseeded players Prince Dahal, Misha Zilberman, and Nhat Nguyen. Benefiting from a favorable knockout stage draw, he received a bye to the quarter-finals, where he overcame the tenth seed Loh Kean Yew. In the a remarkable semi-final against unseeded Lakshya Sen, Axelsen saved three game points to win the first game 22โ20 and overcame a 7โ0 deficit to take the second game 21โ14. Advancing to the final, Axelsen faced the eighth seed and reigning World Champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who had defeated top players Shi Yuqi and Lee Zii Jia en route to the final. Despite Vitidsarn's impressive performance leading up to the final, Axelsen secured a commanding victory with scores of 21โ11, 21โ11, thereby successfully defending his Olympics gold medal. This achievement made Axelsen the only non-Asian badminton player in history and the only men's singles player after Lin Dan to win two Olympic gold medals. In the month following his Olympic gold medal in Paris, he competed in the Hong Kong Open, marking his return to BWF Tour. He advanced to the final, and secured a dominant victory over unseeded Lei Lanxi, winning 21โ9, 21โ12. This triumph made him the first Danish men's singles player to claim the Hong Kong Open title in 27 years.
2025: Back surgery, recovery and return Axelsen kicked-off the 2025 season as champion in the India Open. He won his second title of the year in German Open, the first Super 300 tournament he won since 2021 and the first appearance of new coach, Peter Gade. In the All England Open, Axelsen faced a shock first round exit to Lin Chun-Yi. Shortly afterwards, he would confirm on social media that he had been experiencing severe back pain for several months and in April, Axelsen underwent Endoscopic surgery to repair a disc herniation.
September 10 would mark Axelsen's return to competition 5 months after treating his back injury, entering the Hong Kong Open to defend his title. Axelsen defeated Chou Tien-chen, Yushi Tanaka and Kunlavut Vitidsarn on his way to the semi-finals of the Denmark Open but would fall to no.1 seed Shi Yuqi 19-21, 21-17, 17-21 in a tense display where Axelsen's 'side-to-side' serve technique caused the pair to clash during and after the match. He reached the quarter finals of the French Open, losing to compatriot Anders Antonsen in a gruelling match almost clocking 90 minutes. Despite Axelsen's inspired comeback and climbing the world ranking to 19, he would withdraw from the Kumamoto Masters and Australian Open effectively ending his season early with full focus on 2026.
Retirement On 14 April 2026, Axelsen announced his retirement from 16 years of competitive badminton on his personal Instagram page due to persisting back problems. Axelsen's doctors and specialists advised him to focus on his long-term health, ultimately leading to his retirement.
Personal life In addition to his native Danish, Axelsen is also a fluent speaker of English and Mandarin, giving himself a Chinese name of ๅฎ่ณฝ้พ.
In August 2021, Axelsen decided to leave the Danish national team in Copenhagen and move with his family from Denmark to Dubai. There he could train at the NAS Sports Complex (Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex). Axelsen himself stated several reasons for the move to Dubai; for instance shorter travel time to most events in Asia, which allows him more remaining time to rest or warm-up. Another reason was the health factor since he has asthma and acute rhinitis. This makes it more comfortable in Asia than in Europe, especially Denmark, which tends to be cooler and where his allergy can be triggered faster by things such as flower pollen, dust, or animal dander. And the other reason is the family factor. Axelsen wants to have more time with his family.
Axelsen's wife, Natalia Koch Rohde, gave birth to a baby girl named Vega Rohde Axelsen on 15 October 2020. On 7 October 2022, she gave birth to her second baby girl named Aya Rohde Axelsen. Her father Henrik Rohde, who was head coach of the winning Skovshoved team in the Danish league in 2017, since moving to Dubai, is also helping with the coaching of her husband Viktor Axelsen.
On 20 August 2025, Axelsen announced on his social media that he and his wife have decided to part ways on good terms.
Achievements
Olympic Games Men's singles
BWF World Championships Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2014 Ballerup Super Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark Lee Chong Wei 9โ21, 7โ21 Bronze Bronze 2017 Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland Lin Dan 22โ20, 21โ16 Gold Gold 2022 Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21โ5, 21โ16 Gold Gold
European Games Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2023 Arena Jaskรณลka, Tarnรณw, Poland Christo Popov 16โ21, 21โ16, 21โ11 Gold Gold
European Championships Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2012 Telenor Arena, Karlskrona, Sweden Henri Hurskainen 21โ18, 18โ21, 17โ21 Bronze Bronze 2014 Gymnastics Center, Kazan, Russia Jan ร. Jรธrgensen 11โ21, 13โ21 Bronze Bronze 2016 Vendรฉspace, La Roche-sur-Yon, France Jan ร. Jรธrgensen 21โ11, 21โ16 Gold Gold 2017 Sydbank Arena, Kolding, Denmark Anders Antonsen 17โ21, 16โ21 Bronze Bronze 2018 Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marรญn, Huelva, Spain Rajiv Ouseph 21โ8, 21โ7 Gold Gold 2021 Palace of Sports, Kyiv, Ukraine Anders Antonsen Walkover Silver Silver 2022 Polideportivo Municipal Gallur, Madrid, Spain Anders Antonsen 21โ17, 21โ15 Gold Gold 2024 Saarlandhalle, Saarbrรผcken, Germany Toma Junior Popov 19โ21, 21โ17, 9โ21 Bronze Bronze
BWF World Junior Championships Boys' singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2010 Domo del Code Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico Kang Ji-Wook 21โ19, 21โ10 Gold Gold 2011 Taoyuan Arena, Taoyuan City, Taipei, Taiwan Zulfadli Zulkiffli 18โ21, 21โ9, 19โ21 Silver Silver
European Junior Championships Boys' singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2011 Energia Areena, Vantaa, Finland Rasmus Fladberg 21โ8, 17โ21, 21โ13 Gold Gold
BWF World Tour (27 titles, 6 runners-up) The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.
Men's singles Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result 2018 Malaysia Masters Super 500 Kenta Nishimoto 21โ13, 21โ23, 21โ18 Winner 2018 Indonesia Open Super 1000 Kento Momota 14โ21, 9โ21 Runner-up 2019 Spain Masters Super 300 Anders Antonsen 21โ14, 21โ11 Winner 2019 All England Open Super 1000 Kento Momota 11โ21, 21โ15, 15โ21 Runner-up 2019 India Open Super 500 Srikanth Kidambi 21โ7, 22โ20 Winner 2020 Malaysia Masters Super 500 Kento Momota 22โ24, 11โ21 Runner-up 2020 Spain Masters Super 300 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21โ16, 21โ13 Winner 2020 All England Open Super 1000 Chou Tien-chen 21โ13, 21โ14 Winner 2020 (I) Thailand Open Super 1000 Ng Ka Long 21โ14, 21โ14 Winner 2020 (II) Thailand Open Super 1000 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus 21โ11, 21โ7 Winner 2020 BWF World Tour Finals World Tour Finals Anders Antonsen 16โ21, 21โ5, 17โ21 Runner-up 2021 Swiss Open Super 300 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21โ16, 21โ6 Winner 2021 All England Open Super 1000 Lee Zii Jia 29โ30, 22โ20, 9โ21 Runner-up 2021 Denmark Open Super 1000 Kento Momota 20โ22, 21โ18, 21โ12 Winner 2021 Indonesia Open Super 1000 Loh Kean Yew 21โ13, 9โ21, 21โ13 Winner 2021 BWF World Tour Finals World Tour Finals Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21โ12, 21โ8 Winner 2022 All England Open Super 1000 Lakshya Sen 21โ10, 21โ15 Winner 2022 Indonesia Masters Super 500 Chou Tien-chen 21โ10, 21โ12 Winner 2022 Indonesia Open Super 1000 Zhao Junpeng 21โ9, 21โ10 Winner 2022 Malaysia Open Super 750 Kento Momota 21โ4, 21โ7 Winner 2022 French Open Super 750 Rasmus Gemke 21โ14, 21โ15 Winner 2022 BWF World Tour Finals World Tour Finals Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21โ13, 21โ14 Winner 2023 Malaysia Open Super 1000 Kodai Naraoka 21โ6, 21โ15 Winner 2023 India Open Super 750 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 20โ22, 21โ10, 12โ21 Runner-up 2023 Indonesia Open Super 1000 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21โ14, 21โ13 Winner 2023 Japan Open Super 750 Jonatan Christie 21โ7, 21โ18 Winner 2023 China Open Super 1000 Lu Guangzu 21โ16, 21โ19 Winner 2023 Japan Masters Super 500 Shi Yuqi 22โ20, 21โ17 Winner 2023 BWF World Tour Finals World Tour Finals Shi Yuqi 21โ11, 21โ12 Winner 2024 Malaysia Masters Super 500 Lee Zii Jia 21โ6, 20โ22, 21โ13 Winner 2024 Hong Kong Open Super 500 Lei Lanxi 21โ9, 21โ12 Winner 2025 India Open Super 750 Lee Cheuk Yiu 21โ16, 21โ8 Winner 2025 German Open Super 300 Loh Kean Yew 21โ19, 21โ18 Winner
BWF Superseries (4 titles, 7 runners-up) The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011. Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.
Men's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 2012 French Open Liew Daren 18โ21, 17โ21 Runner-up 2015 India Open Srikanth Kidambi 21โ18, 13โ21, 12โ21 Runner-up 2015 Australian Open Chen Long 12โ21, 21โ14, 18โ21 Runner-up 2015 Japan Open Lin Dan 19โ21, 21โ16, 19โ21 Runner-up 2015 Dubai World Superseries Finals Kento Momota 15โ21, 12โ21 Runner-up 2016 India Open Kento Momota 15โ21, 18โ21 Runner-up 2016 Dubai World Superseries Finals Tian Houwei 21โ14, 6โ21, 21โ17 Winner 2017 India Open Chou Tien-chen 21โ13, 21โ10 Winner 2017 Japan Open Lee Chong Wei 21โ14, 19โ21, 21โ14 Winner 2017 China Open Chen Long 16โ21, 21โ14, 13โ21 Runner-up 2017 Dubai World Superseries Finals Lee Chong Wei 19โ21, 21โ19, 21โ15 Winner Superseries Finals tournament Superseries Premier tournament Superseries tournament
BWF Grand Prix (1 title, 1 runner-up) The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
Men's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 2014 Swiss Open Tian Houwei 21โ7, 16โ21, 25โ23 Winner 2015 Swiss Open Srikanth Kidambi 15-21, 21-12, 14-21 Runner-up BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament BWF Grand Prix tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles, 2 runners-up) Men's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 2010 Swedish International Stockholm Indra Bagus Ade Chandra 15โ21, 12โ21 Runner-up 2010 Cyprus International Simon Maunoury 21โ10, 21โ11 Winner 2011 Swedish International Stockholm Pablo Abiรกn 19โ21, 6โ21 Runner-up 2011 Spanish Open Pablo Abiรกn 21โ11, 7โ21, 21โ9 Winner 2013 Dutch International Eric Pang 24โ22, 21โ12 Winner 2013 Denmark International Ville Lรฅng 21โ17, 21โ8 Winner BWF International Challenge tournament BWF International Series tournament
Performance timeline
National team Junior level Team events 2010 2011 European Junior Championships NH B World Junior Championships 6th A
Senior level Team events 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 European Men's Team Championships G NH G NH G NH G NH G NH G NH European Mixed Team Championships NH S NH G NH G NH G NH G NH G NH G Thomas Cup B NH QF NH G NH B NH B NH B NH QF NH Sudirman Cup NH B NH QF NH QF NH QF NH QF NH QF NH A
Individual competitions Junior level Events 2010 2011 2012 European Junior Championships NH G NH World Junior Championships G S QF
Senior level
Career overview
Singles Played Wins Losses Balance Total 715 560 155 +405 Current year (2025) 12 10 2 +8
Doubles Played Wins Losses Balance Total 1 0 1 โ1 Current year (2025) 0 0 0 0
Record against selected opponents Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 22 December 2025.
Player Matches Win Lost Bao Chunlai 1 1 0 +1 Chen Long 20 6 14 โ8 Du Pengyu 2 0 2 โ2 Lin Dan 9 6 3 +3 Shi Yuqi 13 9 4 +5 Tian Houwei 2 2 0 +2 Zhao Junpeng 6 5 1 +4 Chou Tien-chen 26 22 4 +18 Anders Antonsen 11 6 5 +1 Peter Gade 1 0 1 โ1 Jan ร. Jรธrgensen 8 5 3 +2 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus 6 4 2 +2 Rajiv Ouseph 7 6 1 +5 Christo Popov 7 7 0 +7 Kevin Cordรณn 1 1 0 +1 Parupalli Kashyap 4 2 2 0 Srikanth Kidambi 13 10 3 +7 B. Sai Praneeth 6 6 0 +6 Prannoy H. S. 10 7 3 +4 Lakshya Sen 9 8 1 +7
Player Matches Win Lost Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 19 14 5 +9 Taufik Hidayat 1 1 0 +1 Sony Dwi Kuncoro 2 2 0 +2 Tommy Sugiarto 7 5 2 +3 Kento Momota 17 3 14 โ11 Kodai Naraoka 7 6 1 +5 Sho Sasaki 5 3 2 +1 Lee Chong Wei 14 3 11 โ8 Lee Zii Jia 10 7 3 +4 Liew Daren 7 6 1 +5 Wong Choong Hann 2 1 1 0 Loh Kean Yew 13 11 2 +9 Heo Kwang-hee 4 3 1 +2 Lee Hyun-il 4 1 3 โ2 Son Wan-ho 12 7 5 +2 Boonsak Ponsana 3 2 1 +1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 9 8 1 +7 Kantaphon Wangcharoen 2 2 0 +2 Nguyแป n Tiแบฟn Minh 1 1 0 +1
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Important facts
People in Viktor Axelsen's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Viktor Axelsen's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Viktor Axelsen?
Danish badminton player
When was Viktor Axelsen born?
Viktor Axelsen was born on 4 January 1994 in Odense.
What is Viktor Axelsen's occupation?
Viktor Axelsen is a badminton player and olympic competitor.
What nationality is Viktor Axelsen?
Viktor Axelsen is Danish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Viktor Axelsen. https://biography.guide/viktor-axelsen/
MLA: "Viktor Axelsen." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/viktor-axelsen/.
Chicago: "Viktor Axelsen." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/viktor-axelsen/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 ยท Spot an error? Report a correction.
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