Source:Sipa USA /SOPA Images
[Saba Sports News] During the recent Denmark Open badminton tournament, Shi Yuqi and Viktor Axelsen were involved in a dispute. The immediate trigger was Shi Yuqi questioning Axelsen’s serve for being illegal, to which Axelsen angrily retorted, “I’ve always served like this.” Subsequently, Danish badminton legend Fischer-Nielsen joined the controversy, further intensifying the tension. Fischer-Nielsen firmly sided with Axelsen, stating that Shi Yuqi is full of jealousy towards Axelsen and fears his strength: “Axelsen has returned to the ranks of top players. His excellent performance over the past month is a huge surprise; no one expected him to recover so quickly.” Nielsen believes Axelsen will reclaim the world number one ranking and even strive for a historic third consecutive Olympic gold medal. In fact, besides Shi Yuqi, some other men’s singles players have privately expressed concerns about Axelsen’s serve. Shi Yuqi was the first to publicly protest, effectively burning bridges. However, the Danish legend Nielsen continuously insinuates that Shi Yuqi is apprehensive about Axelsen’s comeback, fearing his return to dominance. This viewpoint is a disparagement of Shi Yuqi’s character and integrity.