Antonsen predicts players will be forced to dive for timeouts

[Saba Sports News] The Badminton World Federation has introduced new rules that will see a 25-second serve countdown trial in certain major tournaments from 2026. This represents an unprecedented disruption to the traditional rhythm of badminton. Denmark’s “two giants,” Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen, have taken opposite positions. Olympic champion Axelsen publicly supports the move, saying, “This is a good solution to the problem of match delays.” His long-standing call for this change has finally been answered. However, the top player’s approval is not unconditional. He pointed out practical issues: “When the referee deals with sweat, how do we distinguish between a legitimate timeout and deliberate delay? The key is consistent officiating – like the initial new serve rule.” World No. 2 Anders Antonsen was more direct: “The rulemakers clearly haven’t played high-level men’s singles recently.” He painted a worrying future: players may be forced to dive for timeouts on slippery courts, risking serious knee injuries; to gain time, players may frequently take risky dives, leading to situations beyond the referee’s control. He also questioned the reasonableness of a standardized approach: “Data shows an average of 22 seconds between points, but the physical demands vary greatly between events!”