Source:Sipa USA /SOPA Images
[Saba Sports News] Recently, former men’s singles world number one Viktor Axelsen shared a lengthy post on social media, highlighting that all of his significant achievements trace back to a critical career breakthrough from 10 years ago. The year 2016 is seen as a vital milestone in Axelsen’s career. Before that year, he had to compete on the court against several badminton legends, including Malaysian icon Lee Chong Wei, China’s “Super Dan” Lin Dan, and another Olympic champion from China, Chen Long.
Despite the longstanding dominance of Asian players in the badminton world, Axelsen successfully rose to become a formidable challenger. This journey began when he won his first European Badminton Championships title that year, followed by leading the Danish team to victory in the Thomas Cup in Kunshan, China, making them the first European team to lift the trophy in history. Three months later, Axelsen competed in the Rio Olympics, defeating Lin Dan in the bronze medal match to win an Olympic bronze medal. By the end of that year, he claimed his first Super Series title at the Super Series Finals held in Dubai.
Axelsen revealed that the victory in Dubai gave him confidence, elevating his self-assurance and allowing him to start winning more matches from that moment on. Over the past decade, he has learned the importance of perseverance, which has provided valuable guidance in his life. The key lesson he emphasized is: when you fall, get back up and try again.