Source:REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
[Saba Sports News] A new rule by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has sparked a major upheaval in the badminton world at the beginning of 2026. The BWF announced that starting with the Indonesia Masters on January 20, the “25-second serve timer” rule will be officially trialed, aimed at speeding up the pace of matches and reducing delays. However, this reform, intended to make matches “smoother,” has led to a public rift between Denmark’s men’s singles “duo.”
Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen supports the change, while world-ranked second Anders Antonsen opposes it, stating that those who create the rules “simply don’t understand high-level competition.” Antonsen pointed out the vast differences in physical exertion across men’s singles, women’s singles, and doubles, arguing that using the same 25-second standard to measure them is “absurd.” Axelsen’s support is relatively reasoned; he acknowledges the intent to address delay issues but also expresses concern about the referees’ enforcement standards, noting that clearly defining reasonable pauses versus deliberate delays will become a new challenge on the court.
From the editor’s perspective, this disagreement among top players reflects the complexity and controversy surrounding the new rule. In recent years, the BWF’s reforms regarding match formats and serve heights have frequently caused upheaval, and whether they can successfully balance “smoothness” with “sporting principles” remains a significant question mark.