Source:Sipa USA /SOPA Images
[Saba Sports News] According to the latest updated badminton world rankings, Danish star Viktor Axelsen has fallen to 18th in the men’s singles rankings. This is the first time since January 22, 2015, that he has been outside the top 10, marking a total of 3,848 days without being in the top 10. Over the past four months, the Danish star has not participated in any international competitions, leading to a steady decline in his ranking, from third place in mid-March to fourth, sixth, and ninth. This week, Axelsen dropped to 18th, mainly because the 14,500 points he earned at the Paris Olympics this year expired this week. In the last 52 weeks, Axelsen has only competed in eight tournaments, meaning he has no other valid points to replace the Olympic champion points. Therefore, the drop in ranking is not surprising. Over the past nine seasons, Axelsen has been one of the most consistent male players in international badminton. He won his first individual world championship at the 2017 World Championships. In the following years, Axelsen claimed the 2020 Tokyo Olympic title, the 2022 World Championship, and the 2024 Paris Olympic title. His record in the Olympics and World Championships ranks second in history, behind Lin Dan, who has five World Championship titles.