His rise to global success began in Basel

Viktor Axelsen is ending his career immediately due to injury. The Danish superstar celebrated, among other things, his first big elite-level tournament victory at St. Jakobshalle.

There are moments that athletes never forget—for example, their first major triumph or a particularly close match with a successful outcome. Viktor Axelsen experienced both on the same day in Basel in 2014: he won the final against China’s Tian Houwei 21–7, 16–21, 25–23, securing his first “Grand Prix Gold” title. The 194-centimeter talent—often said in his youth to be too tall to become a top singles professional—had definitively become a star. And he made another statement: he won his last four matches all in three sets.

It was the starting signal for a great career, and Viktor Axelsen has never looked back since. In 2016, he won Olympic bronze with a victory over the legend Lin Dan; a year later, he claimed his first World Championship gold in Glasgow, again against the Chinese opponent. Many more titles followed—51 in total. His career was crowned with Olympic gold medals in Tokyo and Paris. Like the Spanish player Carolina Marín, who also recently retired, Viktor Axelsen managed not only to challenge but even dominate the often overwhelming Asian competition. He even held the world number one ranking for 183 weeks.

Two titles, one final, and one semifinal in Basel

Although he spent most of his time competing in Asia, Axelsen—who speaks fluent mandarin—never forgot the places where he first found success. In Basel, he also reached the final in 2015, won in 2021 in the very unusual atmosphere without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and reached the semifinals again in 2023. He also completed several training sessions with Swiss junior prospects Nolan and Hugo Chanthakesone.

Recently, he has increasingly been held back by back injuries. These have now forced him to retire, as he told “Badminton Europe”: “After my surgery last April and a long rehabilitation process, I suffered a setback in October. Since those tournaments, I have not been able to train or compete at the required level due to the pain, and therefore I now unfortunately have to make this extremely difficult decision.”

We thank Viktor Axelsen for countless unforgettable badminton moments, in Basel and around the world—for his passion and inspiration. On behalf of the Swiss badminton community, the Yonex Swiss Open wish you all the best for the future. (mke)