Source: Visual China Group/Shi Lihui/VCG
[Saba Sports News] On China’s largest badminton forum, netizens have posted photos of Japanese player Naraoka Kodai celebrating his birthday at a restaurant, which has drawn strong attention from fans. In the photos, Naraoka is seen smiling among a group of women wearing traditional kimonos. However, choosing to celebrate at a Japanese restaurant that features geisha performances has sparked criticism from many Japanese netizens, who accuse him of being attracted to beautiful women, and believe this personality may hinder his performance, especially during the upcoming training camp for the BWF Tour. After Kento Momota completely stepped back from international competitions, Naraoka became Japan’s current top men’s singles player. However, his reputation in Japan is divided, particularly due to his poor performance in team events and reluctance to compete, which has caused significant controversy. Moreover, his performance in major tournaments is far behind his predecessor, Momota. Despite being criticized, the 2nd highest-ranked player in the world (currently ranked 7th) remains one of the few competitive players in Japanese men’s singles.