Hunter to Hunted
The upcoming HSBC BWF World Tour 2023 could well prove to be the toughest season of Viktor Axelsen’s 14-year senior career.
· PREM KUMAR & DIANNE PIERRE
For the world No.1 is now the ‘trophy scalp’ for many of his peers, having established himself as the undisputed gold standard in men’s singles.
In 2022, a year after becoming only the second European man to win Olympic gold, the Dane maintained his supremacy by bagging six World Tour crowns and adding world title No.2. As a result, rivals are more determined on court – Axelsen spoke about “dodging a bullet” after coming through an 83-minute slogfest with Kodai Naraoka in the last four of the World Tour Finals in Bangkok just last month.
Here, he talks about his progress from being the young hunter during the era of Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei to now being ‘the hunted’, and how he is ready to roll up his sleeves in the face of stiffer challenges.